98 points - "The 2023 The Schubert Theorem Shiraz is a gorgeous wine. It is silky, inky, pure, black as the ace of spades and long through the finish. The use of concrete egg in the fermentation/maturation stages lends the wine a sense of purity and finesse. It supports a core of crystalline fruit that is wrapped in earthy, grainy tannin and woven together with threads of saline acidity. It has rose petals, detail and delicacy, power and precision. Standish performs somewhat like a Burgundian producer—he works with one grape (I suppose two, if you count the small inclusion of Viognier in the Relic) to express different vineyard sites, soil types and elevations. There's no "declassified" fruit in these wines, no flow-on opportunities to other cuvées, just "make or break" viticulture and winemaking. The ancient terroir of the Barossa is writ large in these wines. It is striking. This 2023 Schubert, despite the cool and wet conditions, is a testament to Standish's clarity of vision. 14.9% alcohol, sealed under natural cork." - Erin Larkin (The Wine Advocate)

98 points - "The '23 release of the Schubert Theorem is just gorgeous. It's kinetic. The purest of plum, black cherry and blueberry fruits stretch impossibly long on the palate, with impressive density and a real sense of grace to its travel. The edges are smooth and round here and there is a calmness as it glides across the palate, the tannins more in the powdery spectrum (and I'm sure this comes from the portion that spends its gestation in a concrete Nomblot egg). Bunch (50% or thereabouts) is bang on here, lending a golden ratio of spice, sinew and texture. But man, that pure rolling swell of fruit is the star; this is a wonderfully composed wine." - Dave Brookes (Halliday Wine Companion)

92+ points - "Raspberry conserve, toasty oak, red capsicum, spice, tobacco and chocolate. Deep and rich wine, quite toasty with roasted coffee bean flavour, blackberry and blueberry, quite some sandy grip to tannin, orange peel, dark and spicy on a finish of good, but drying, length. 92+ points." - Gary Walsh (The Wine Front)

93 points - "Bold, meaty and very concentrated. An inward concentration to infinity with blackberry coulis, prune and fig, date and salted Brazil nuts, dark chocolate drinking powder, roasted capsicum and beetroot with lots of clove and bitter herbs. Very firm tannin profile, drying, powdery finish with a wall of chalky pucker. A kind of oafish nature to the wine, a sticky richness and palate-staining overtness. The finish a touch bitter with smoky tannin. Character, intensity, for sure. Not quite to the pace and finesse of past releases, but worthy for impact. 93 points." - Mike Bennie (The Wine Front)

Patience is not merely waiting for something to happen but the ability to maintain a positive attitude during that time.
Patience was fundamental to the 2023 harvest in the Barossa, with the grape picking extending well into May, almost a month later than average.

As grape growers we are farmers and as the saying goes, we always have “one eye on the sky”. Habitually hoping for more rain in our parched landscape, at this critical time of year prior to harvest however, rain is the antagonist.

The ripening phase saw a handful of pesky precipitation events each of which arrived with vexatious timing. To harvest or not to harvest? The repeated question, each time.

The Risk – pick too early and risk thin green under ripe grapes or too late and risk dilute flavours or to lose the entire crop at the hands of fungal diseases or split berries.

The Gain – an extra week or two of sunshine and photosynthesis to increase tannin and anthocyanin in the grape’s seeds and stalks. Ripe and complex grape flavours.

The Results (with Patience):
This gentle elongated ripening creating a special vintage giving us wines of great lusciousness and complexity. Crunchy forefront tannins from the grape skins in conjunction with mellow rounder toning, mouth filling tannin from riper grape seeds. Grip and drive from the lignified stalks alongside the invigorating natural acidity retained due to the cool season, all harmonising to give billowy flow and incredible intricacy.
Some of our most complex and captivating wines to date.

Patience; risky, perhaps – worthwhile, definitely!