Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

So, many of you have not had the pleasure of having Dan’s wines. It is largely due to the fact he doesn’t have a US importer. He sells all his mid production level wines through his mailing list. That makes importing from his mailing list as restrictive as the import fees. They are equal to the price of the wines you order. Not something you’ll do. I didn’t. You need to find his wines on the secondary market to be cost effective.

We had the privilege of visiting his Cellar Door in the Spring of 2017. What a fantastic visit and walk of his Estate with him. The age of his Estate vines are 100 plus years old and their yield is less than a ton per acre which, does not make for a lot of wine but, instead a very concentrated wine.

Dan traveled to and worked in many of the key wine regions before settling in as Torbreck’s Winemaker and then marching to his own drum doing his own thing as “The Standish”, his way. No compromises.

The first thing you need to know about Dan’s wines is you can drink them early but, that would be a huge mistake. This 03 is sensational now but, is worthy of more cellaring. It has 10-20 years of life ahead of it...proper storage of course.

This is a second night wine for us and it is still big.

The nose reveals smokey; blackberries, black raspberries, black plum skin, black cherries, blueberries, mulberries/boysenberries, baked/poached strawberries & some raspberries, sweet tarriness, dark berry cola, black pepper, steeped tea, eucalyptus, mint, tree bark with sap, herbaceous, dry crushed rocks, nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, vanilla, moist, forest floor with dry leaves with withering; dark, red, purple flowers framed in violets & strong lavender.

The body is full, round, lush & ruby. The tannins are still big, round, tarry & meaty. The structure, tension, length & balance are just there & yet still not there. It is still a monster on day two. Smokey; blackberries, black raspberries, black plum skin, black cherries, blueberries, mulberries/boysenberries, baked/poached strawberries & some raspberries, sweet tarriness, grilled meats, dark berry cola, black pepper, steeped tea, eucalyptus, mint, tree bark with sap, herbaceous-sage & rosemary, used charcoal, graphite, dark spice with palate heat, burned ambers, incense, rubber toy, dry crushed rocks, moist clay & top soil, dry stone, nutmeg, clove, cinnamon, vanilla, moist, forest floor with dry leaves with withering; dark, red, purple flowers framed in violets & strong lavender. The acidity is round and a rushing river. The extremely long finish is, big, round, elegant, floral, well balanced, runs juicy to dry with persistence for days falling onto earthiness & dark spice on the long set.

Photos of, a plaque that hangs above my kitchen sink that speaks to me always, Dan Standish, his Cellar Door and surrounding buildings. — 5 years ago

Joshua Fisher

10

Drinking way out of my $ range .
1982
Don’t know how to describe this. Left full by a guest attending Napa Premiere. Thank you who ever that was.
— 7 years ago

Bryan

8.9

Had at a Portland wedding. Plums and just a tiny hint of spice. Way above average for wedding wine! — 8 years ago

Mark Flesher

9.3

Wine takes a good two hours to open up but has everything from raspberry to herbal notes...just hasn't really settled down and seems to be more on the primary side right now. I am very impressed by this wine, and honestly the QPR on this wine is quite fantastic at $30/bottle. I would have paid $60 or more for this (don't tell Genevieve or TRB). Not a stunner, but definitely way better than your average $30 pinot. — 8 years ago

with Keith

Justin Hurst

9.4

After two hours open, it was singing. So typically Raveneau. Had that “something” that I’ve never found a way to nail down in great Chablis. — 9 years ago

Dave Carruthers

9.2

Beautifully smoooth Aussie Shiraz offering. Truly enjoyable :-) Great finish after a big mouthful of flavour As good as it gets in this price range — 9 years ago

Ian Hamel

9.3

202 spring / summer. I wonder if my ratings are suffering from inflation, but the truth is often I would be happy doing all of my drinking from de Villaine’s range. This particular Fortune was notably more developed than the 2017 or 18, in a good way - lots of woodsy complexity over the brighter berry fruit. — 6 years ago

Randy Fuller

9.5

This wine offers a nose of black and blue berries, shoe leather and a hint of black olives. It’s a deep, rich bouquet. The flavors are similarly dark, with berries leading the way again. Black pepper and a nutmeg note also appear, with the fruit staying long on the finish. There is a good tannic structure, easily enough for a steak or beef stew. The oak regimen was nearly all used barrels, so the oak effect is quite nice, not a bit overdone.
— 6 years ago

Kirk F

9.2

Consumed way too young but oh so good. Enjoyed over two hours watching some US Open action after 3 tough matches. Magnum. — 7 years ago

Aaron Tan

9.4

The "lesser" of the two wines was the winner in this drink-off. Both difficult years, but the 00' had way more finesse than the 09'.

What a wine! Classic KR and typical Saumagen power. White flowers, chrysanthemum, rich fruit, salty, salty, special KR earthiness, and did I mention salty. As usual, I should mention this isn't for everyone - Bernd's barrels have got some special "dirt" in them. But for me, these wines are full of character and often not exemplifies the term power without weight! — 8 years ago

Lori Thorn

9.7

With Toni McClay — 8 years ago

Andrew Schirmer

9.0

Knocked out by flu the first two weeks of the year, I’ve been a virtual teetotaler for nearly all of January. Sad! What better way to ease back into the wine life with this rustic, savory Greek red that has all the tannic grip of a fine Sangiovese. Some oak up front, palate is heavily tannic with sour cherry, herbs, and chalk/flint. Nice work. — 8 years ago

with Alsu

Libbi Odessa

9.0

Raspberry, raisin, chocolate...jammy but still pretty dry. Really good for the price range. I was kind of stranded and found this at a 7-Eleven. What a pleasant surprise! — 9 years ago

Chris Grimm

9.1

Weird wine in the best way. Open two days: day one was bracingly acidic, needed food to be enjoyable. Day two was much better, but when this warmed up to slightly above room temp, it started drinking like a red wine, and it’s utterly fantastic. Full bodied, floral, spice notes, and peach skin. Blind, it kind of smells like a weird Pinot. — 6 years ago

Tyson Escoto

9.4

Balanced in every way — 7 years ago

Dr. Owen Bargreen

9.5

The 2016 Long Shadows ‘Saggi’ is the best bottling of this storied wine that I have tried since they began producing this wine more than a decade ago. The ‘Saggi’ is a thrilling blend of Sangiovese (Boushey and Candy Mountain Vineyards) with 29% Cabernet Sauvignon (Weinbau Vineyard) and the remainder Syrah (Den Hoed Dutchman and Bacchus Vineyards). The nose is drop-dead gorgeous with bacon fat, black olive tapenade, mocha and fennel. The stunning range of aromas bring you back to the glass for more. Revealing a silky texture and a wonderfully ripe mouthfeel, the ‘Saggi’ slowly unveils smoked pork shoulder, black tea, milk chocolate covered cherry and roasted fig flavors. Decadent, layered and downright delicious, this beautiful wine will enjoy an exceedingly long life in the cellar. If enjoying in its youth be sure to give this a two hour decant. Drink 2019-2033- 95 — 7 years ago

Shay A

9.5

@Mark Flesher and I decided to do a 2014 Napa Cab battle from two of Napa’s top winemakers...TRB and Mike Smith.

At pop and pour, the aromatics here were absolutely wonderful. There was a sweet/ripe dark fruit core to this wine. Very youthful with some cedar and cocoa. Stylistically I view TRB as a red and black fruit Cab winemaker and I found the nose to be on the darker side. BUT. The raspberry, vanilla pipe tobacco, dark chocolate and dates on the palate showed TRB in every way. There was an elegance with power here. In a few years, this will undoubtedly be stellar. Great bottle @Mark Flesher — 7 years ago

with Mark

Josh Raynolds

10

Rich, creamy and chocolatey as all get out. Some spicy notes come up on the back and give it a weird, in a good way sort of Mexican chocolate effect. This is an American beer icon and for good reason. Bottle number two of a four-pack. — 8 years ago

Heath Higgins

9.1

Ordered off the wine list, way too young. Had a little bit of funk initially. Better two days later. — 8 years ago

with Mary and Catherine

Ray Vanderhoff

9.1

Love this BIG wine. BIG Flavor, BIG Aromatics, BIG Color! But not overpowering in any way. Blend of two overlooked varietals. Aromas of dark fruits, vanilla herbs and spice. Blackberry and plum flavors. Not overpowering (though lots of tannins) for such a reasonably young vintage. Really Good!! Bring on the beef! — 9 years ago