Description
Siblings Matt and Janelle Swinney have created something very special in the Frankland River region of the Great Southern in WA. The vineyards are part of remote and isolated 2,500 (approx. 6,000 acres) hectare grape growing and grazing property which has been the home of the Swinney family for four generations.
George John Alexander Swinney was a pioneer of the Frankland River Region and settled at ‘Franklands’ in 1922. The ‘Franklands’ property sit on ironstone gravel hill tops above the Frankland River and produce wines that have a distinctly ferrous character – a character strongly associated with the highest quality Frankland River fruit.
Bush vine viticulture is their passion and, with the right site selection and varieties, produces some of the most site-specific fruit you will see. Growing vines this way is labour intensive and requires a lot of dedication and patience – everything must be done by hand, but the lower yield and greater effort is worth the effort! Low-yielding and growing naturally without trellising, bush vines are a rarity in Western Australia and exemplify the Swinney’s long term commitment to producing wines that are a true expression of their unique sites and variety and in as natural and unforced manner as possible.
Winemaker, Rob Mann (grandson of the legendary Jack Mann—the godfather of Western Australian wine)– joined the Swinney team in 2018, whose philosophy is simple—to reflect and preserve the personality of each individual vineyard site. To achieve this, we harvest by hand—often with multiple passes over the same vine—fruit and berry sort and co-ferment where possible.
“There is no question that this vineyard and the style being crafted under one of Australia’s finest winemakers, Rob Mann, have redefined syrah and grenache. These are now the established benchmarks and should be on the buy-now list for anyone with an interest in contemporary Australian wine.” Ray Jordan, The West Australian, 2021
When Matt and Janelle Swinney first decided to plant Grenache and Mourvèdre, many questioned their wisdom, saying the grapes wouldn’t ripen. As it turned out, under Swinney’s uncompromising management, this cool, ironstone pocket of Frankland River now looks like the promised land for these Mediterranean varieties.
Swinney was named 2020 Vineyard of the Year in the inaugural Young Gun of Wine Australian Vineyard of the Year Awards. “The scale of the vineyard, coupled with their pinpoint focus and pursuit of innovation, and the quality of the resulting wines, is truly extraordinary and inspiring”, the judges said.
About this wine: Matt Swinney’s affection for the Southern Rhône and Priorat led him to plant bush-vine Grenache on Swinney’s ironstone hilltops in the 1990s. Grenache was hardly known in the area at the time, and there were many raised eyebrows in the region when the news got out. Matt’s hunch has since proved correct, and Swinney is now setting a new standard for Australian Grenache. Erin Larkin does not overstate the significance of Swinney’s wine, writing, “the Grenache, particularly, is a tremendously important wine not only in the context of this vineyard but of the Great Southern Region and, indeed, on a national level, for Australia.” Meanwhile, Max Allen has noted that, “the [Swinney] grenache, in particular, tastes like no other Australian example of this variety and will change perceptions of the Frankland region…”
Each year, the Swinney Grenache is picked by hand from the well-established, dry-grown bush vines on the Wilsons Pool vineyard’s rich gravel/loam soils. Each vine was passed over multiple times to harvest only perfectly ripe fruit. The bunches were then destemmed and sorted berry by berry. This year, Rob Mann worked with 40% bunches—bolstering the structural frame to balance the intensely aromatic, flavourful fruit—in a combination of small wooden fermenters and stainless-steel tanks. The wine spent two weeks on skins before being pressed to large (3600-litre), seasoned French wood for 11 months’ maturation. Sitting pretty in the red-fruited spectrum, Mann notes that the warmer conditions of 2024 were ideal for the Grenache, which, despite the conditions, recorded higher acidity than in any preceding vintage. That freshness has brought bags of clarity and energy to another unflinching Swinney Grenache.
94 points, Ray Jordan, rayjordanwine.com.au “A delightfully fragrant, light to medium-bodied grenache from bush vines on the Wilson’s Pool Vineyard. The season was challenging, requiring significant fruit to be dropped and careful hand harvesting to ensure only the best grapes were used. The wine was barrel-sorted and gravity-fed into small wooden and stainless steel fermenters, with a higher percentage of whole bunch added during wild fermentation to build structure. Aromas of high-toned red fruit, rose petals and a slight earthiness flow through to a bright, seamlessly integrated palate that extends to a long finish.”
94 points, Erin Larkin, Wine Advocate “If any variety will excel in a warm vintage, it is the sun-loving Grenache. Here, the 2024 Grenache proves the theory correct: while the tannins are firm and pliable, the fruit is fresh and vibrant, and the overall effect is one of buoyant structure. Notes of garden rose and ironstone, mulberry, bramble, sweet tobacco and even sandalwood show a wine of dappled nuance and poise. It’s bloody, earthy, dusty, fine and very impressive, and while it’s a more savory version of itself than previously, this will likely age well. 13.8% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.”
92 points, Gary Walsh, The Wine Front “Smells good. Raspberry, strawberry, cherry, mint, brown spices (nutmeg) and almond, something a bit twiggy, also a rose oil perfume, and ironstone. It’s medium-bodied, has something of a sappy character, a little grainy and desiccated in the tannin department but there’s plenty of charm in the red fruit and perfume department to counter that. The finish is bright, albeit a little dusty and drying, with a cinch of orange peel to close.”
93 points, Mike Bennie, Halliday Wine Companion “ This is a beautiful, elegant and sleek expression vibrating with the whole bunch white pepper and sinewy greenness. This is slipped into red cherry, white strawberry and cranberry fruit characters. It’s quite peaky, a little on edge and not quite settled into its groove, but there’s freshness, purity and finesse setting up a long and attractive future for this wine.”
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