Swinney Frankland River Syrah 2019

***** Outstanding Winery, James Halliday, 2021 Australian Wine Companion

“Swinney is flying.” Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front

“The first results of [the] collaboration are fantastic: the grenache, in particular, tastes like no other Australian example of this variety and will change perceptions of the Frankland region...” Max Allen, Australian Financial Review

Swinney's 2019 Syrah was hand-harvested from five small parcels planted to a range of clones, including Jack Mann's heritage massale selection of Syrah and two more recent clones that the Swinneys have introduced from the Rhône Valley. Unlike the Grenache and Mourvèdre, the Syrah is trellised (although there are plans afoot to plant single-stake Syrah in the future).

Like the other 2019 reds, this is superb. It's a perfectly ripe yet vibrant wine, with pure and fleshy plum and grenadine fruit as well as lots and lots of garrigue-like, Mediterranean herb notes. 

"All the cracked pepper and blackberry, the hint of wetsuit neoprene reduction, ground spices, char-grilled sausages on the BBQ. Medium-bodied, blueberry and blackberry, husky wheatgerm flavour and tannin, sweetness chopped back with thyme and black olive, clean acidity, boysenberry pie and a dry nutty finish of excellent length. Excellent. Savoury. Regional. Quite the looker." 94 points, Gary Walsh, The Wine Front