Swinney Frankland River Syrah 2022

Winemaking and Drinking

In the far reaches of Western Australia’s Great Southern region, nestled among rolling hills and ancient granite outcrops, lies Frankland River a place that whispers rather than shouts. It is here, in this quiet corner of the wine world, that Swinney has been crafting a Syrah that is anything but ordinary. This is not your typical Australian Shiraz. This is Syrah with a sense of place, a sense of restraint and a whole lot of character.

Origins

The Swinney family has farmed this land for over a century, but it was not until the early 2000s that they began to focus on wine. Their vineyards are dry grown, bush trained and meticulously managed. The fruit is hand picked, sorted with surgical precision and treated with the kind of care usually reserved for grand cru Burgundy. The result is fruit of extraordinary purity and energy.

Enter Rob Mann, one of Australia’s most respected winemakers. His approach to Syrah is minimalist but deeply thoughtful, whole bunch fermentation, wild yeasts, gentle extraction and ageing in large format oak. The goal is not to make a blockbuster, but to make a wine that speaks fluently of Frankland River.

Tasting

And speak it does. The Swinney Syrah is a wine of tension and elegance. Aromatically, it is a study in cool climate complexity violets, black pepper, graphite and wild herbs swirl around a core of dark cherry and plum. On the palate, it is medium bodied but intensely flavoured, with fine tannins and a mineral edge that gives it real drive. There is a savoury undercurrent that keeps things grounded, and a freshness that makes it almost impossible to put down.

Awards and Accolades

The accolades have come thick and fast. The 2022 Farvie Syrah received a perfect 20 out of 20 from Matthew Jukes and 98 points from Erin Larkin in the Halliday Wine Companion. It was named Red Wine of the Year by Ray Jordan and topped Max Allen’s list of Australia’s best Syrahs on JancisRobinson.com  These are not just high scores they are signals that something special is happening in Frankland River.

But what makes this Syrah truly remarkable is not just the critical acclaim. It is the way it challenges expectations. In a country known for bold, sun drenched Shiraz, the Swinney Syrah offers a different voice cooler, more refined, but no less powerful. It is a wine that rewards attention, that evolves in the glass and that lingers in the memory long after the last sip.

In short, the Swinney Frankland River Syrah is a modern Australian classic in the making. It is a wine of place, of precision and of passion. And it is proof that sometimes, the quietest voices are the ones worth listening to.