RustyR

9.2

Open Napa m — 5 months ago

Daniel Bloom

9.0

Strawberries, tannin , some almond.
Delicious w a slight chill. Some get a sanguine quality. There’s no escaping Piedmontese acidity. So for fans, great.A delicious relic that’s survived thankfully. Still rustic but delish.
— 4 years ago

with Sarah

Neil Valenzuela

9.1

Deep ruby color. Aromas of plum, pepper, dark chocolate and graphite. Dry wine, gorgeous black fruit, baking spices and a Forrest floor/ mushroom finish.

🥇 90 points Wine Enthusiasts — 6 years ago

Mark Flesher

9.3

I've held onto this one for 5.5 years. As unlikely as that sounds, I'm not sure the style of this one really would have been ready to go much sooner than now. Black inky pour. Nose of blackberry, black licorice. Entry of black fruits, blackberry currant, graphite, pie spice, surprising acidity. The middle shows that thick and well-integrated side of this wine. Tons of sediment on the finish. Although this wine is rocking right now, tannin seems to be dropping out at a really quick pace, so I would probably make the decision to drink these within a year. — 7 years ago

Chad Thompson

9.4

My last Draai Laag bottle and my favorite. Bought from direct Millvale brewery and aged two years in my cooler. It’s has mellowed a bit but was an excellent bottle - dry, complex and very smooth. — 8 years ago

Carl Fischer

9.4

I’ve rated this a few times and nothing has changed. A solid Cali take on a Rhône blend. Easy drinking and delicious. — 9 years ago

Diana Willis

9.1

Ordered this great Pinot at Blue Coyote! — 9 years ago

Palmer Emmitt

Owner/Winemaker Judge Palmer

9.4

Wow. A relic from my trip to Waiheke in ‘08, it’s holding up remarkably well. Spot on Bordeaux-like character with hints of bell pepper and graphite to go along with seamless tannin and racy acidity. The fruit character is still bright and sings with cranberry, cherry and red cassis in perfect harmony with the structure of the wine. Glad I waited and glad I have another bottle! — a year ago

Daryl Golden

9.2

Super delicious — 5 years ago

Phil Castellano

9.3

One of my favorite wines from Relic, a Northern California, Southern Rhône, extremely well executed. The ‘12 was a particularly good year for this one. — 6 years ago

Aura Rainbow Sanchez

9.5

All of yes — 6 years ago

Brett Vanderbrook

8.9

Picked this bottle up when we visited Evening Land last summer. Kind of a relic now since EL doesn’t even make wine in France anymore. It’s too bad, though because this is delicious. Bright and crisp with a lingering creaminess. Definitely more elegant and restrained. — 7 years ago

with Raina

Liz Gresham

9.2

Tasting awsome!!! — 8 years ago

Carl Fischer

9.1

This is the "second" wine from Husic Vineyards but I struggle to call it a second wine. Made by Mike Hirby (Relic, Winter, D.R. Stephens), the wine is a deep red in the glass. The nose is full on raspberries and blackberries with baking spice. The palate delivers dark fruits, light oak, moderate tannins, light acidity. Heavy sediment. I think this could be laid down for another 5-7 years and still be strong. A very nice wine. — 9 years ago

Antra Stabler

9.7

In line with the relic. Slightly purple tongue. Fruity, but not overpowering. — 2 years ago

Andrew Olsen

9.1

Can’t get enough of this one — 4 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

If you have not had this producer of Shiraz from Barossa, you are missing out on some special wines from very old vines. In the case of “The Relic” 100 year old vines. We walked the Standish Estate vines w/ Dan in April 2017. They yield a paltry 500 pounds of fruit per acre. Normally, very high quality wine are around 2,00-2,500 pounds of fruit per acre. So, his wines are from small concentrated berries.

You won’t find his wines in the US except on the secondary markets. He doesn’t have or need a US importer as he sells everything he makes through his mailing list. However, worth seeking out. Also, his wines need to age and you can find them this old. I have numerous times.

Dan started out in Barossa and then gathered much of winemaking knowledge working his way through Europe for several producers and a majority of them in France.

When he returned to Australia, he became the Winemaker at Torbreck before starting “The Standish Wine Company.”

I’ve posted several of his wines with detailed notes and will let them speak here. Cheers!

— 5 years ago

Liz Gresham

9.0

Still drinking great. Definitely need big meat with it. — 7 years ago

Martin G Rivard

9.3

Great Chardonnay 👍 — 8 years ago

with Christine

Blake Conklin

Cellar Hand Relic Winery

9.5

Incredible. Holding up beautifully. — 9 years ago

with Joshua