Swinney Farvie Grenache 2024

… The colour is quite brilliant. It was picked on March 1 as distinct from the end of April in more normal years. Aromas have that distinctive ironstone character, which is regional and vineyard. The palate is quite tight and firmish, but there is good flesh in there. The higher acidity contributed to that tight palate sensation. In this case, a higher percentage of whole bunches to capture the freshness in the wine. Almost has a sour cherry-like character with a ferrous wet slaty character. More assertive structural tannins. The only thing different in the winery was the use of whole bunches, which was up to 65% in this case. The berry sizes were quite small and loose, so you get the brightness and concentration. It is a stunning wine that continues to define Australian grenache.

Wine critics are completely unbiased and have absolutely no favourites at all. First line of the wine writers’ creed. Unfortunately, despite our best intentions, it really isn’t true. There are always some samples which, when they arrive for tasting, bring a smile of anticipated pleasure. Even though Swinney have only been on the scene for the equivalent of a drop in the vinous ocean, they have established a reputation as one of the most exciting producers in the country. The latest releases will simply entrench this even further. With all the attention focused on Grenache from the warmer South Australian regions, it may seem odd that one of our very best hails from the far distant Frankland River. This is a single vineyard wine from the Wilson’s Pool Vineyard, picked from dry grown, bush vines. Winemaker, Robert Mann, includes 60% whole bunches in the ferment. The wine spent ten days on skins before pressing to large format, older French oak, where it spent eleven months maturing. A gleaming crimson/ruby hue, the complexity in this wine is immediately evident. The aromas weave through notes of cherries, warm earth, mulberries, fresh beetroot, kirsch, truffles, plums and a touch of florals and orange rind. There is an appealing savouriness here, but giving the wine time in the glass will be to its advantage. Supple and seamless, there is a fine line of acidity maintained throughout and great length here. This will provide pleasure for the next ten to fifteen years at least. One of our great Grenaches.

Farvie Grenache seems to walk the tightrope in 2024 with consummate confidence and unwavering commitment. This is the most demonstrative wine in the line-up, given it was once an unlikely hero and, since its inaugural release, it has never lost any of its swashbuckling appeal. It is also unique in its stance on the palate and the delivery of its panoply of intricate flavours. Accordingly, this 2024… is expressive, blooming and sensual in the glass. The nose is a positive fanfare of fruit, with ripe notes, interwoven with bitterness, and it is this tension between plum, mulberry and tender berries, and meaty, herbal and leather tones that confuses and delights in equal measure. There is even a fine thread of mintiness that I saw hints of in both the Mourvèdre and Syrah, and yet here it is permitted to run amok. Part aromatherapy, part perfumer’s delight, part gastronomes’ best friend, and part florists’ heaven, this is a succulent, refreshing, and rewarding Farvie Grenache with immense allure already on display for all to admire.