Swinney’s Farvie wines are a tale of greatness. JAMES HALLIDAY

Swinney’s Farvie wines are a tale of greatness.  JAMES HALLIDAY  The Weekend Australian

Swinney is in the process of making a very powerful statement about the Frankland River region via the delivery of these world-class wines. ERIN LARKIN, The Wine Advocate

This elite scion of the Swinney portfolio debuted with the 2018 vintage, and in five short years, Farvie has carved out an indelible identity right at the top tier of the world wine scene. MATTHEW JUKES

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.  2020 Vineyard of the Year, Young Gun of Wine Vineyard of the Year Awards

I will get straight to the point here. The flagship trio of Farvie wines from Frankland River's Swinney are some of the most exciting wines being made in the country today. Three distinctive wines that frankly stand alone in their style and character in this country. Their Grenache is not a pinot in sheep’s clothing like many in the new garde, but a wine that captures the perfume and buoyant fruit of Grenache and pairs it with serious structure and the trademark ferrous, 'blood lip' character that defines the wines at this address. The Syrah, as Rob Mann points out, is more inspired by Cornas than Cote Rotie, with its muscle, spice and ironstone heart and yet there's a core of beautiful pure fruit here and a succulence, freshness and balance to the wine that make it unlike any of the Syrah I have tasted from Frankland River, or Western Australia for that matter. This year's release is a new high point for me. The last wine in the trio is the sophomore release of their Mourvèdre, an incredible wine which I get a sense its Rob's favourite to date. It marries Mourvèdre’s beauty and wild heart perfectly. Floral and sapid and punctuated by Mourvèdre’s earth and Swinney's sanguine stamp. The fine structure and delicate acidity bringing a sense of poise and precision to a grape that delivers brutish and unwieldy wines in the wrong hands. Once again three incredible wines that showcase this special property and the talents of those who make the magic happen.

The who's, how's, where's and why's for those who don't know the story are as follows. The 'who' are Matt and Janelle Swinney, whose family have long been growers and suppliers of high-quality fruit to some of this country's best and brightest, decided to back themselves and their vineyards and go out on their own. They had the raw material, but the final piece of the puzzle here clicked when they convinced the highly talented and experienced Rob Mann onboard as Chief Winemaker in 2017. Rob is WA winemaking royalty, and he has crafted phenomenal wines everywhere from California, to South Africa and Cape Mentelle and his own project Corymbia at home.

The 'where' is Swinneys' gravelly, ironstone vineyards which are the prize here and the Swinneys' manage them with remarkable attention to detail. From their complex root pruning to intensive shoot thinning and canopy management, they even use a shade cloth for the Syrah on the western side to shield from the fierce late afternoon sun. Picking too is a tedious affair with multiple passes to ensure every berry that comes off the vines is in immaculate condition. For the Farvie Syrah specifically, the fruit comes from a small, selected plot in their Wilson’s Pool and Powderbark blocks. These parcels contain only massale selections including those tracking back to Rob's grandfather, the late, great Jack Mann. The Farvie wines represent the very pinnacle of quality at Swinney. 

Swinney's old bush vine grenache, Mourvèdre and dry grown Shiraz vines suck up the very soul of their gravelly, ironstone vineyards and deliver wines unlike I have seen anywhere else in the country. The fastidious nature of their vineyard management is something to behold from complex root pruning to drive the roots deeper, to intensive shoot thinning and canopy management and even a shade cloth for the Shiraz on the western side to keep that late afternoon sun in check. Then it's multiple passes at picking time to ensure the quality of fruit coming of the vines is immaculate.

These three Farvie wines, which represent the very best this incredible property has to offer, come from vines deeply rooted Swinney's northeast facing slopes. The combination of tempering breezes from the river, free draining gravelly soils and an even more particular picking selection, all help deliver fruit of remarkable purity and considerable structure. 

For those who haven't tasted these wines I know there is a leap of faith here as Rhone varietals for Western Australia haven't delivered a whole lot of joy in the past, but this is something entirely different. If Swinney were in Margaret River or the Yarra they would likely be household names by now but instead they are in the world's most remote wine region, making wines unlike anyone around them and with incredible results. I have no doubt that these wines will become icons in time, but the quality is already there now. Not much more to say but buy them, drink them, tuck some away, they will cellar brilliantly.