Frankland Estate ‘Isolation Ridge’ Mourvédre 2023

"To call mourvédre the “thinking person’s grape” is to assume all those thinkers have dirty minds. There’s something both sacred and profane about the way it can be beautiful and visceral at once. This nails that dichotomy perfectly. From one of Frankland River’s greatest vineyards in possibly its greatest vintage, the wine delivers a high note of sweet red and black berries and peppery spice. But it’s down in the basement that things get interesting, with black pudding and whip leather, the gravedigger’s shovel and sucking blood through split lips. Magnificent." 97 points Nick Ryan