Frankland River

Frankland River

Grenache

Classically modern in every way, this is a quite beautiful rosé from Frankland River. The colour has a pale pinkish onion-skin hue. On the nose, punchy red berries emerge with some fine orange peel and a citrusy edge adding balance. The palate has a textured richness that makes it so appealing, while retaining that life, energy and fineness which is...

Frankland River

Shiraz

This is a Frankland River shiraz from the Acacia vineyard. It shows ironstone and dark plummy fruit, with blackberry and dark plum richness. It’s deep, concentrated and plush, with firm yet fine tannins. The oak is largely Taransaud five-year seasoned oak. It has a textured, plush mouthfeel with a chalkiness that provides definition and balance. It’s brilliantly bright with powerful...

Frankland River

Shiraz

A mighty impressive wine that Gordon sources from the shiraz powerhouse of WA. It's generous, it's supple, it's opulent but it's all controlled and balanced. Typical of the season and in the Jeremy Gordon style of winemaking. All those spicy plum, dark cherry, and even a little green olive work tirelessly on the nose. Once you delve into the palate,...

Frankland River

Shiraz

What a good wine this one is. Gordon gets it from Frankland as he has done for many years, recognising how good this region can be, and this is certainly one of the best. The season was pretty good and it's produced a wine of deep complexity and rich flavours with a mighty combination of plum and cherry and some...

Frankland River

White Varietal

This is one of the most distinctive of all white grape varieties, with its typical gingery lychee characters that reveal on both the nose and the palate. It can sometimes be a little too much, but a combination of controlled winemaking and an excellent season has harnessed these sometimes overt characters to present them perfectly. The palate is flavoursome with...

Frankland River

Riesling

It's no surprise that winemaker Jeremy Gordon has turned to Frankland River to source riesling for this wine. It's a variety well suited to the region, and this was a great year. It was wild fermented and then just went into small stainless steel vessels. It shows the typical tight zesty minerality with a little flinty, tense wet pebble complexity....

Frankland River

Shiraz

Okay, so 2022 was a pretty impressive year down in Frankland River and this beautifully seductive, smooth and balanced shiraz captures the season rather well. Spicy plummy fruits on the nose with a little clove and nutmeg to lift. The palate has a gravelly slightly ironstone character threading deep, while the primary fruits float effortlessly to a long finish. A...

Frankland River

Cabernet Blend

Castelli Il Liris cabernet sauvignon shiraz 2021 ($120) This blend of cabernet sauvignon and shiraz from Frankland River illustrates the incredible range of wines that can be produced in this region. Bursts out with a combination of underlying black fruits with a lift of exotic blue fruits. It has structure and tannin, but the fruit opulence wraps around the tight...

Frankland River

Shiraz

Stunning. This came out on top of 700 wines submitted from around Australia for my annual Top 100 red wines selling for less than $40. From the time I brought the glass to my nose to the final lick of the lips, I knew this wine was something special. Perfumed spicy plummy notes with a little raspberry confectionery nuance. The...

Frankland River

Cabernet Sauvignon

An elegant and slightly angular wine that strongly reflects this vintage in Frankland River. The cascade of black currant washes through the palate as the fine tread of tannin and fine-grained oak works through. A slightly savoury, minerally bay leaf and black olive nuance add further layers.

Frankland River

Rose

The fruit for this rose comes from Frankland River and gets the full winemaking. Handpicked and crushed to press and then pressed after a short time and then fermented in ceramic egg to ferment to dryness and bottle. It’s bone dry yet it has a textured palate. Very pale colour. Has a dry savoury lightly red fruit finish. This is...

Frankland River

Cabernet Sauvignon

Concentrated and expressive cabernet from a small block in Frankland River. The aromas burst open with blackcurrant and plummy liqueur cherry dominant, against a muted backdrop of lightly toasty oak. It’s more medium bodied but lacks nothing in power and firm cabernet structure. Firm grainy tannins and well managed oak shape and focus the finish.

Frankland River

Malbec

Some pretty impressive malbecs come out of Frankland River, and this is right up there with any of them. IT has the typical bright malbec red fruits on the nose, seamlessly morphing into the palate. But there is another gravelly ferrous character that adds enormously to the appeal. Highly concentrated but effortlessly presented palate is rich in fruit and intensity.

Frankland River

Pinot Gris

The colour is the faintest of copper pink from the small amount of skin contact in the early stages. Captures the apple and pear crumbly characters of the variety. The lift of lemon zest adds another dimension. The palate is clean and crisp with a slippery textural feel.

Frankland River

Syrah

A sublime expression of Frankland syrah in a very good year. Its shape and weight are absolutely in line with syrah. The aromas emerge with energy and intensity. Plum and cherry with spices, a little sage and a tiny ferrous minerality. The palate radiates energy with a palate that is almost floating on air. The dried ferrous characters threads into...

Frankland River

Syrah

This outstanding syrah is from clone 470 from Frankland River. It is another wonderful wine from this season. The opulence and intensity is evident immediately when you take in the heady aromas of blue fruits merged with ripe mulberry and dark plum with a liqueur chocolate influence. The palate is rich and textured with plush fruit flavours delivered with perfect...

Frankland River

Syrah

Here is a window into the magnificence of the ’23 vintage in Frankland River. There are going to be many outstanding wines from this season, and this one will be right up there with the best of them. Succulent and delicious with a mix of blue and red fruits on the nose sprinkled with spices and a light chalk dust....

Frankland River

Syrah

This excellent syrah includes the newly introduced clones 470 and 171, which contribute to a new level of complexity. It’s been made with a light winemaker’s touch and only a tiny amount of new French oak to spice things up. There is structure here diving deep into the medium bodied highly perfumed and supple fruit characters. Spices and a little...

Frankland River

Mourvèdre

Yet another remarkable Rhone variety expressed perfectly from Frankland River. The aim appears to have been to present this as true a reflection of the vineyard as possible. It’s from bush vines and then a combination of whole bunches to build structure, wild fermentation to build texture and then finishing off for 11 months on lees in older French oak....

Frankland River

Riesling

The heat in Frankland tested every bit of viticultural expertise to achieve quality fruit. This one has emerged in good shape. It comes from the distinctive Powderbark vineyard with the lemon zest characters well to the fore. It’s a lightly fragrant and nicely defined riesling with length and precision.

Frankland River

Grenache

The pretty much perfect season in Frankland River has resulted in some of the best grenache yet released from this region. This is certainly a case in point. Yes, it’s soft and supple with plush red fruits and florals, but there is a more serious structure and purpose through the middle palate. Radiates brightness from its deep crimson red hues...

Frankland River

Mourvèdre

This marvellous rose makes a compelling statement of what modern rose is all about. Has a pale copper and onion skin colour. Then the aromas are a delightful red berry fragrance with light dried herbs and a tweak regional ferrous character. The light bodied palate has a spicy and faint strawberry nuance with just a little Turkish delight. Smooth and...

Frankland River

Mourvèdre

Frankland River produces lots of great fruit, and mataro is certainly a variety that does exceptionally well. The natural rustic earthy character are captured in the ironstone soils of the region. Interesting winemaking included whole bunches in old puncheon, and whole berry and open fermentation techniques. Love the vibrant red berry characters on the nose and the palate with the...

Frankland River

Red Blend

Can’t remember a better example of this wine. It’s a mataro grenache and shiraz blend from the Riversdale Vineyard in Frankland River in this wonderful vintage. A deep mass of dark fruit explodes from the glass. Spicy plum, dark chocolate and dark cherry aromas invade the senses. A rich vein of fruit cascades across the palate. It’s juicy and plush...

Frankland River

Cabernet Sauvignon

The elegance and sublime structural beauty of Frankland River is vividly on display in this super classy cabernet. Strikes that perfect balance of power and refinement that delivers through a long and focussed palate. On the nose the blackcurrant of cabernet emerges, but then there is a little minerally graphite. The palate is still holding its tight line through to...

Frankland River

Cabernet Sauvignon

An interesting diversion from the usual WA cabernet clones in that it is from clones 377 and 191. On the nose there is a captivating mix of black fruits with a minerally ferruginous character merging into other nuances of tobacco leaf, red berry and oyster shell. The palate is very firm with substantial tannins holding it close through to the...

Frankland River

Cabernet Franc

A variety that is mostly blended with cabernet sauvignon, yet more are releasing straight varietal versions when things line up in the season. This was one of those times. Perfumed red berry and violet with a floral leafy lift on the nose. The palate is medium bodied and elegantly crafted with the red berry and subtle oak working in harmony....

Frankland River

Riesling

I suspected this might be a pretty good riesling from this region and this vintage. Well, I got it right. A pristine and pure riesling with notes of lemon zest and talcy bath salts. The palate is where this cracking wine really excels. It has a fine texture with tremendous intensity and vibrancy. Minerally, with spicy lemon characters. There’s a...

Frankland River

White Blend

One of the best of these I have tasted The vintage certainly helped, proving ideal for the gewurztraminer, pinot blanc and pinot grigio used in the blend. Has a spicy aromatic lift with a tangy palate of subtle apricot and orange peel nuances. The fruit vibrant and the time in older oak has simply brought it together.

Frankland River

Fiano

A variety that continues to increase in popularity and with good reason. It is a thoroughly beautiful crisp and fresh drink. In this case a little barrel fermentation has added to the palate providing texture and richness while still retaining a fresh clean acidity. A little honey and citrus with a slightly nutty character provides the interest.

Frankland River

Grenache

Cherubino pushes boundaries with this marvellous grenache. It’s made in a clay cement ovoid tank which is a giant egg that creates a sort of vortex of continual movement. The outcome is stunning. There’s pristine purity and vibrancy here as the grenache elevates to new levels of seductiveness. You just keep going back for more. Terrific stuff.

Frankland River

Petit Verdot

No shortage of colour in this petit verdot off the Riversdale Vineyard. Loads of dark fruits evident immediately on the nose, then the palate displays the firm core of tannins you expect with the variety. This warmer year proved ideal for this variety which needs warmer vintages to reach optimum flavour ripeness.

Frankland River

Malbec

The juicy bright red fruits that are malbec burst initially from the glass then take a mighty leap from the glass. This one comes from the Justin Vineyard in Frankland. There seems to be much of the vineyard here with a slightly iron filings edge to the deep fruit flavours. The chalky tannins and understated oak really hum ringing the...

Frankland River

Shiraz Blend

A little Rhone and a little Bordeaux get together for this little shindig that results in a smoothly textured and lavish wine. Opulent dark spicy plum and chocolate with ripe blackberry notes throughout. The oak influence is minimal with maturation in a five-year-old foudres. It’s resulted in a wine of tremendous energy and vibrancy evident from the bright colour and...

Frankland River

Shiraz

A thoroughly beautiful and quite pretty shiraz from the Riversdale vineyard in Frankland with these special clones 174, 470 and Waldron, which were introduced a few years ago. It’s silky smooth and plush but there is structure in here with fine chalky tannin and little ironstone with persistent flavours that build relentlessly. A wine of tremendous luminosity and brightness.

Frankland River

Shiraz

Juicy, plush and plump shiraz sourced from those wonderful vineyards down at Frankland River with slightly peppery dried herb notes on the nose with trace of ironstone minerality. The palate delivers further rushes with a big dollop of dark chocolate and a sprinkle of mocha.

Frankland River

Shiraz

What a thoroughly delicious and beautiful expression of shiraz from Frankland River. Hand picking and hand plunging point to, well, a hands-on approach with a mix of wild and cultured years. The aroma is distinctly regional with an ironstone minerality working with the bright mulberry and blue fruit characters. The palate has texture with a slightly grainy feel that works...

Frankland River

Cabernet Sauvignon

Another thoroughly beautiful exquisitely presented cabernet from Alkoomi. It’s medium bodied but the power and intensity of the cabernet fruit has been captured. This is cool climate cabernet at it’s best with blackcurrant displaying savoury and meaty cedary influences. The tannins are firm and controlling allowing the fruit to extend effortlessly to a very long finish.

Frankland River

Shiraz

Beautiful medium bodied shiraz showing the structure and fruit expression you associate with this region. Spicy ironstone aromas with light plum and mulberry nuances. A little lift on the nose comes with the small addition of viognier. Perfectly integrated oak and fine chalky tannin create the support for a long palate.

Frankland River

Riesling

A really pretty and pristine riesling that says much about this season. Brilliant luminosity in the glass and then aromas of light citrus and spice with a little apple character pounce. The palate is fine and linear with tremendous length. A classically defined riesling and one of the best I can recall in this long line of rieslings.