2023 Frankland Estate Shiraz, Frankland River

An impressive red from the wonderful 2023 vintage, fermentation was achieved as slowly as possible, followed by an extended maceration and then maturation for fourteen months in a mix of 500-litre French oak puncheons and stainless steel tanks. The team has been known to co-ferment a dollop of both Touriga Nacional and Viognier with the Shiraz. This is a spicy, red-fruited gem. A dark magenta/purple, the aromas include notes of cassis, plums, spices, dark chocolate, raspberries, dried herbs and roast meats with hints of animal skins lurking in the background. There is a juicy line of acidity running the length and the wine has both balance and concentration throughout. Lot to like here. Enjoy it over the next eight to ten years.

94 points Ken Gargett for Wine Pilot, February 2026

The thing you get with this is a sense of pure shiraz fruit. An effortless drink, soft and plush, dark cherry, mocha, cola, salted licorice, mint leaf, clove, but in all that a wonderful harmony, a pleasing and raspy grunt of tannin, the core all sloshy and fun. It's so pleasing here, does well for the variety, and the entry fee is very well judged. Right on. Drink 2026 to 2030.

92 points Mike Bennie for Halliday Wine Companion (Special Value), January 2026

Impressive dark, dense purple hues. Starts quietly with a lilting scent of Aussie bush notes, black fruit, smoked meats, vanilla and spice. Gains a stronger voice when tasted with a more obvious generosity of fruit and presence lifted aromatically by a warm, inviting spiciness. Sturdy, firm tannins roll out across the palate and with them a smooth-running texture, the perfect vehicle for a wealth of ripe black and red fruits, earth, sweet spiced oak and liquorice. Drink 2026 to 2030.

92 points Jeni for Wine Pilot, February 2026

Frankland Estate was founded in 1988 by Barrie Smith and Judi Cullam deep in the Frankland River subregion of Western Australia's Great Southern, about as remote as Australian wine gets.

The second generation now runs the estate: brother and sister Hunter and Elizabeth Smith, with Elizabeth's husband Brian Kent as winemaker since 2010. They were raised on the land and live on it, which shapes everything about how the vineyard is managed and how the wines are made; organic conversion began in 2005, with full certification achieved for the 2009 harvest.

Their Isolation Ridge vineyard is built on ironstone gravel over clay — the family call it coffee rock — fragile, infertile soils that reward with wines that carry a distinctly savoury, ferrous signature alongside generous fruit and natural acidity. The Southern Ocean's influence and cool nights ensure the fruit hangs long into autumn without losing freshness or energy.

The Estate Shiraz is fermented slowly, followed by an extended maceration and fourteen months in a mix of 500-litre French oak puncheons and stainless steel. The result is a wine that feels both structured and easy, which is harder to achieve than it might sound.

The 2023 is a particularly good vintage for the wine. Dark cherry and plum are the core, with dried herbs, a savoury edge and the faintly ferrous, earthy quality that marks wines from this vineyard. The tannins are present but smooth-running, and there's good spice and balance throughout.

Best enjoyed over the next few years while the fruit is at its most generous. Good company for slow-roasted duck, a Moroccan lamb tagine, or anything dark and spiced that deserves a proper glass.