REVIEW: The Frankland River winery’s Farvie trio of 2023 wines can only be described as beyond exceptional.
Frankland River’s Swinney winery has just released a triumvirate of wines under its Farvie label.
It is a release for the ages. I expected these wines from the great 2023 vintage to be exceptional, but even my lofty expectations were exceeded.
They are beyond exceptional.
Wines that are individual, idiosyncratic and in a style that is unlike any other, that combines the old world with the new world with another world altogether.
Perhaps it was the vintage, certainly the region and the vineyards, the subtle changes in the winery and the gradual refinement that comes with experience.
Most likely a confluence of so many different contributions that have combined to produce wines of true greatness.
The season was nigh on perfect, with temperatures never exceeding 35C, which suited the dry-grown vineyards.
The vines produced modest crops of small berries, deep intensity, excellent tannin structure and freshness with saturated colour.
The fruit was harvested slightly earlier than previous vintages to capture the freshness and vibrancy of the varieties.
It is remarkable what an impact the Farvie wines have made since the release of the syrah and grenache from the great 2018 vintage and then the initial mourvedre from the 2021 vintage.
In fact, the impact and reaction have been ones of surprise and awe.
Surprise in that these are atypical of what has come to be expected of Australian shiraz/syrah, grenache and a lesser extent mourvedre.
And awe because of just how damn good they are.
Winemaker Rob Mann said the resulting wines were different from the earlier releases that were, by comparison, quite big wines.
The oak and use of whole bunches contributions have also been slightly tweaked, while the continuation of gravity feeding contributes to the life and energy.
Mr Mann’s approach is consistent with his uncompromising belief that these wines are made in the vineyard, and his role is little more than to cradle and coax them through.
Still, it is an art that says less is more and the results are evident in the wines.
There are plenty of wines to contrast and highlight the stylistic differences.
But if you want to stand them up against wines that are stylistically similar in some respects, then try the great wines of Peter Fraser from McLaren Vale’s Yangarra.
Don’t expect them to last very long because they are on a strict allocation and demand from Australia and globally is strong.
Farvie grenache 2023 ($150)
A remarkable grenache that captures much of the wine-making and viticultural philosophy with this wine sourced from the bush vine Wilson’s Pool vineyard. The fruit was hand-picked, berry sorted and gravity fed to French oak fermenters where 30 per cent whole bunches and wild fermentation have accentuated the bright spicy characters. The oak is all fine-grained, large format season French, which did its thing for 10 months. The oak continues to play a more subordinate role with a greater percentage of whole bunches being used these days. Coupled with the earlier picking approach, it captures the coolness and crunchy freshness style that is becoming the hallmark of the style. The palate is unlike any other Australian grenache, with its precise arrow-straight acidity fired with telling accuracy to a target that eventually reveals deeper succulent fruit flavours. It is still tightly wrapped with firmness and tension. A wine of a touch of brash youthfulness and serious intensity.
Score 99/100
Cellar: 30 years
Farvie mourvedre 2023 ($150)
Oh yes, I love this wine. It has a beautiful perfume and brightness evident on the nose and the palate. This is bush vine mourvedre. The structure and palate poise are exceptional. The rustic edges are slightly knocked off. Meaty chorizo but it’s subtle. These characters are trimmed. And in a year like 2023, mourvedre has less acidity. It has a slightly ironstone rusty nail thread running through it with a tense dry tannin feel in the mouth. It was matured in a single 16-litre vat that has no direct oak impact. The attention to detail is demonstrated by the management of the bush vine canopies allowing attention to each bunch with the resulting uniformity of fruit. Traces of blue fruits with a subtle licorice and tarry character. Slightly more supple and revealing than the grenache and less open and opulent tan the syrah.
Score 99/100
Cellar: 30 years
Farvie syrah 2023 ($150)
Deep black and dark red colour with touches of purple. There is a sweet and beautiful spicy freshness and energy that bursts from the glass. This wine is about feel, and there is a saline minerality and alkaline character combining with an almost glazed shimmering sheen. It is a wine that is both detailed and expansive with layered revealing textures and flavours burning within. The fruit is from dry-grown vertically trellised vines on the Powerbark and Wilson’s Pool vineyards. And the detail comes from the hand-picking, berry-sorting approach before gravity feeding the two demi muids with a 55 per cent whole bunch component. A remarkable wine that challenges our greatest shiraz albeit with a stylistic difference.
Score 99/100
Cellar: 40 years
• Ray Jordan is one of Australia’s most experienced and respected wine journalists, contributing to newspapers and magazines over more than 40 years. In 2017 he co-authored The Way it Was: The History of the early years of the Margaret River Wine Region
