2021 Standish Shiraz Release: Goldilocks

"And then she went to the porridge of the little, small wee bear, and tasted that. And that was neither too hot nor too cold, but just right; and she liked it so well, that she ate it all up." - Goldilocks and the Three Bears (1837), Robert Southey
The Standish release in early May (May 2, 2023) is eagerly anticipated each year (not just by me!). Stylistically, the wines achieve something that I value highly: they toe the line between modern and classic, and they do it with class. The cuvées are reliably excellent quality, and show what is possible when the focus in a winery is not diluted across different varieties, or a buckling under the weight of many different cuvées. Winemaker Dan Standish has been making these wines under the eponymous label since 1999. Shooting forward 22 years to the 2021 vintage, we as drinkers are thrilled to welcome the wines from this cool, long and restrained season ('...neither too hot nor too cold, but just right...'). The wines themselves, as you will see in this video (and hopefully taste for yourselves at home) are balanced, detailed, and in the case of one, far lighter and finer than I have seen in previous vintages. A commanding release with a clear standout, in my opinion.
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0:00 - Intro
2:08 - 2021 vintage in the Barossa Zone
5:05 - Winemaking across the collection
6:00 - 2021 Lamella, Eden Valley, 14.9% alcohol
10:10 - 2021 Standish, Greenock, 14.9% alcohol
11:50 - 2021 Schubert's Theorem, Marananga, 14.9% alcohol
14:12 - 2021 The Relic, Krondorf, 15.5% alcohol
16:38 - 2021 VS 2020 VS 2019 VS 2018?
20:09 - Service: pleasure vs professional review
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Link to 2018 Release video:
• 5 in 5 Premium Edition...
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Link to 2019 Release video:
• Standish 2019 Release
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Link to 2020 Release video:
• Standish 'Tiny Twenties'
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Any review you see on my socials ( / erinllarkin , this channel and my website (www.erinlarkin.com.au) are never paid for by wineries or anyone else: the wines are featured on their merits - because they have risen to the top in tastings. If you try the wines I recommend and you like them - good! Because so do I.