Farvie Frankland River Grenache 2020, Swinney

This smells very like fine red Burgundy, with rosehip and red cherry character on the nose. 2020 was a warmer year (like 2018), and this shows in the relative richness of texture – super-supple and refined, with more subtle, integrated acidity than either of the previous vintages. While I love the 2018 for its vibrancy, the 2020 has an extra layer of sophistication. It has potentially a long life ahead of it, but it’s so irresistible already that I can’t see all that many bottles surviving to find out. Drink 2023-2033 and beyond. People told Matt Swinney that he was insane when he planted Grenache in the Frankland River region. The ‘Albany Doctor’ wind blows along the river valley direct from the Southern Ocean, meaning that summertime afternoons and evenings can be distinctly chilly. Combined with reliable sunshine, this promotes the long, slow ripening shared by many of the world’s finest wine regions. Was Matt right? Does the Grenache ripen? Absolutely, and reliably so: under cool but dry and sunny conditions, and helped by the impoverished ironstone gravel soils, well-drained hilltop sites and established bush vines. Farvie Grenache is the result of a ridiculously painstaking selection effort, involving visiting each vine three times to pick out the fruit that has reached the ‘sweet spot’ of optimal ripeness – neither too exposed to the sun, nor too shaded.