Standish The Relic Shiraz Viognier 2018

 99 pts Joe Czerwinski, Wine Advocate: 

Despite being only 2% Viognier, in its current state, Standish's 2018 The Relic Shiraz-Viognier shows prominent notes of stone fruit and spice, plus the blackberries and blueberries of the Shiraz. Full-bodied, lush and creamy-textured, with a long, silky finish, this beauty should drink well for a couple of decades after its release next year. Drink 2020-2040.

 97 pts Decanter: 

"Shiraz co-fermented with 2% Viognier, from the Hongell Vineyard in Krondorf. A cascade of aromas: cassis, blackberry, bilberry, creamy Black Forest gateau, black pepper and cardamom, then more savoury kelp, creosote and bloody undertones. Concentrated yet buoyant, with juicy persistence and fine, mouthcoating tannins. Controlled opulence. Drinking Window 2020 - 2038"

 96 pts Gary Walsh, The Wine Front: 

Hongell Family Vineyard, Krondorf. Planted 1912. Warm climate Shiraz and Viognier are uneasy bedfellows for me, generally, but sometimes they work. It’d be a different wine without the Viognier, though, obviously, I can’t state that it would be better. There’s 2% of the V-word in the mix here. Apricot, vanilla bean and white flowers, ripe blueberry, blackberry pie with a spicy crust. It’s silky, juicy, layers of silky and silty tannin, gentle but persistent and maybe even insistent. Succulence and perfume, something of a grilled steak flavour, freshness and density, and sweet sweet length. It’s a warm fruit pie of a wine, but keeps itself so well controlled. It’s very hard not to be impressed. Drink 2022-2038+

standish 是澳洲Barossa的精英級酒莊。 莊主Dan Standish雖然是第六代，可是他卻實際建立酒莊的人 ，父輩以上都是賣葡萄給大酒廠的酒農，沒有自已裝瓶生產。

這間酒莊在祖業相承之下， 有著Barossa引以為傲的百年老藤，指標酒款Standish, Schubert Theorem, Lamella, 和今日介紹的Relic 皆是由百年Shiraz老藤所釀 。其中Relic加了2至3％的Viognier , 典型的北隆河思維，也讓此酒在慣有的藍莓與煙燻氣息之外，多了一些性感花香 ,酒質也相對柔軟一些 。

Dan Standish在1999年決定成立自己的酒莊 ，但這個決定並非突然。在此之前，他早在世界上許多知名酒鄉學習釀酒並擔任釀酒師，如美國 Napa Valley、Sonoma Coast、西班牙 Rioja、法國 Rhone Valley。他1999年回到澳洲家鄉開始釀酒，以嚴格選果打造一系列酒款，葡萄只挑選最好的20%釀造，Robert Parker 認為 Standish 酒莊可成為 Barossa Valley 的指標性酒莊。

他的老藤葡萄園來自家承，1999年時，樹齡就已有96歲 , 但是由於面積不大 ; 單位

產量又低，每年各款加起來的總產量不到10000瓶 ; 多半要排mailing list才有機會，有點似美國膜拜酒的經營方式。不過呢間酒莊不擅於提高售價，主要是因為Dan Standish

本身就是位釀酒師 , 呢間酒莊成立20年以來一直如此 , 算是行家的私房酒。

 今日呢支Relic則是出 自Hongell Family葡萄園。採野生酵母 開放式發酵、傳統的

桶式壓榨，最後入法國橡木桶30個月。Relic因有Viognier，所以紅白兩品種共同發酵，標準北隆河想法。Standish的酒裝瓶前不過濾、

不澄清；口感濃郁甜美、層次豐富、醇味無窮 。 酒標上有老藤圖樣 ：故得「聖物老藤」

之名。