2023 Swinney Farvie Grenache, Frankland River

Cherries, dark raspberries, a little balsamic, some boysenberry exoticism and ethereal spices. Pure and deeply layered. A fragrant fleshiness up front, a plushness to the mid-palate with exquisite gravelly tannins pushing through velvet sheaths to shape the wine and lengthen the finish.

98 points Nick Ryan The Weekend Australian

A serious grenache that delivers more depth and woody spice than the 'estate' stablemate, though not without the vineyard stamp of game meat savouriness, violet floral lift, sweet spices, ferrous grunt and depth of cherry and berry fruitiness. This wine feels warmer and richer but loses no finesse in the deeper realms of grenache. There's peppery elements here, too, almost a sweet, turned-earth character and more olive, sea spray and salt bush going on. Tannins sweep through the wine with succulence and feel tight and granitic. It's curiously refreshing and inky in the same frame. Stellar, is the byword.

96 points Mike Bennie winecompanion.com.au

2023 Swinney Farvie Grenache has a stunning nose, and it is brutally firm on the palate. It slams your taste buds shut only to open them again to see if they are still alive, and then it invades again without hesitation with extremely forceful and powerful purple fruit notes… The tension on the finish is what sets this wine and its siblings apart. It is unique from these varieties’ perspective. This is one of the most impressive Farvie Grenaches to date, and it continues a run of wines that defies comprehension.

19.5/20 points Matthew Jukes matthewjukes.com

A remarkable grenache that captures much of the wine-making and viticultural philosophy with this wine sourced from the bush vine Wilson’s Pool vineyard. The fruit was hand-picked, berry sorted and gravity fed to French oak fermenters where 30 per cent whole bunches and wild fermentation have accentuated the bright spicy characters. The oak is all fine-grained, large format season French, which did its thing for 10 months. The oak continues to play a more subordinate role with a greater percentage of whole bunches being used these days. Coupled with the earlier picking approach, it captures the coolness and crunchy freshness style that is becoming the hallmark of the style. The palate is unlike any other Australian grenache, with its precise arrow-straight acidity fired with telling accuracy to a target that eventually reveals deeper succulent fruit flavours. It is still tightly wrapped with firmness and tension. A wine of a touch of brash youthfulness and serious intensity.”

99 points Ray Jordan businessnews.com.au

Take a walk through Swinney’s untrellised Grenache bush vines, and things change about halfway down the block planted in 2004 on the estate’s upper northeast-facing hillside crest. The gravel gets deeper, and there is less clay. “That’s Farvie,” says Rob Mann. This fruit is different, too; it is more ferrous and mineral with fine, velvety tannins and so much complexity. Vines are picked over multiple passes, with only the best bunches from each vine—those sitting in the dappled light of the vine’s architecture—set aside for Farvie.

The bunches are berry sorted, then gravity-fed to French oak for natural fermentation, incorporating 30% bunches. Small bunches and berries in 2023 resulted in fruit of intense colour and concentration, so this year, the wine is 100% Grenache (previous releases have included small amounts of Mourvèdre). The wine spent 11 days on skins before being pressed to large, fine-grained, seasoned French oak vessels, where it matured for 10 months. Rob Mann was happily surprised with the depth of colour in this year’s release: “The bunches were loose, and the berries were small in 2023, so the colour is this amazing deep purple. It’s a freak of a wine,” he told us, “but a very exciting one.” 

Swinney Farvie Grenache from Frankland River is nothing short of a superstar. In a world where Grenache often plays second fiddle, Farvie steps into the spotlight, proving this grape can deliver the kind of elegance, complexity, and sheer wow factor usually reserved for top-tier Pinot or Syrah. Crafted by winemaker Rob Mann, this is cool-climate Australian Grenache at its finest—vibrant, powerful, and incredibly refined.

In the glass, it shines with a radiant ruby hue, hinting at the purity within. The nose is immediately captivating, bursting with wild raspberry, blood orange, and pomegranate, layered with rose petal, dried herbs, and a whisper of white pepper. There’s an earthy undertone, too—crushed rocks and a touch of warm spice—that speaks to the unique terroir of Swinney's dry-grown bush vines.

On the palate, Farvie delivers everything you'd hope for and more. Juicy red fruit takes center stage, supported by ultra-fine tannins and bright, mouthwatering acidity. It’s silky yet structured, with flavors of cherry, cranberry, and rhubarb unfolding alongside hints of clove, star anise, and a savoury, almost graphite-like minerality. The finish is long, fresh, and complex, leaving you with the unmistakable impression of a wine crafted with precision and passion.

This Grenache is a dream with food—think slow-roasted lamb, chargrilled eggplant, or duck with cherry sauce. It also pairs beautifully with hard cheeses and Mediterranean dishes. While it’s drinking beautifully now, Farvie has the structure to age for 10–15 years, evolving into something even more extraordinary.

Swinney Farvie Grenache isn’t just one of Australia’s best—it’s a global benchmark for what Grenache can achieve. Rare, exceptional, and downright thrilling, it's the kind of wine you’ll want to experience at least once—but once probably won’t be enough.