Standing Ovation Many Hands Vineyard Shiraz 2025

Standing Ovation Many Hands Vineyard Shiraz 2025
$45, 13.5% alcohol, screwcap, Upper Goulburn.

Fascinating story. It’s grown on a small vineyard in the Goulburn Valley near Tallarook, a vineyard stewarded by a group of 12 growers. These growers have been producing a shiraz for over 20 years. About 200 dozen is produced each year, though – and here’s the thing – it almost all goes to the family and friends of said growers. Anyway, this year a small amount will make it out of captivity and be available if you look (really) hard enough. The wine itself is made at the Shadowfax winery.

It’s a seriously lovely wine. It’s bright, bold, measured, spicy, floral and structured at once. It invites you in, keeps you there, doesn’t let you go, and pleases greatly throughout. Blueberry and black cherry flavours, plums, mineral and smoke notes, plenty of bounce and energy, a slip of eucalypt as well. Tannin is both assertive and beautifully managed; it’s pretty obvious that the crew, over all these years, have been drinking (very) well. What a ripper. 95 points – Campbell Mattinson.