2023 Swinney Farvie Syrah, Frankland River

A little reductive at first, plum skin and salted licorice, pipe tobacco and beef broth. Black olive and boot polish. Savoury, tight, earthy. With time, black and blue berries emerge, and the wine takes on a little flesh as well. But a firm, ironstone spine remains. Incredible focus and precision.”
97 points, Nick Ryan, The Weekend Australian

 
A magnificent syrah with dark fruits, charry spice, licorice, leafy herbal nuance, brined olive notes and distinct minerality on show. It feels medium bodied but the concentration and slip of meaty tannin lends fullness to the pitch-perfect mid-bodied feel. Tannins keep the wine slippery, refreshing, fine tuned and draw the wine long. There's a distinction and elegance at play. Perfumed, supple, incredibly layered syrah with regional typicity at the forefront. Take a bow.

96 points Mike Bennie winecompanion.com.au

 This is a quiet assassin, and the tension throughout is remarkable. It is not easy to determine the grape variety on first taste, and nor should it be because the vineyard and its intense minerality speak louder than the flesh and skins of the grapes. The frictive layers of anti-fruit silently fall away to reveal a spectacular statuesque Syrah. Toned, lithe, brightly fruited and yet immovable, there is not a molecule out of place, and it stands riveted to the spot with a commanding gaze and unshakable temperament.

20+/20 points, Matthew Jukes matthewjukes.com (The ‘+’ indicates a wine that will benefit from medium-term aging.)

 Deep black and dark red colour with touches of purple. There is a sweet and beautiful spicy freshness and energy that bursts from the glass. This wine is about feel, and there is a saline minerality and alkaline character combining with an almost glazed shimmering sheen. It is a wine that is both detailed and expansive with layered revealing textures and flavours burning within. The fruit is from dry-grown vertically trellised vines on the Powerbark and Wilson’s Pool vineyards. And the detail comes from the hand-picking, berry-sorting approach before gravity feeding the two demi muids with a 55 per cent whole bunch component. A remarkable wine that challenges our greatest shiraz albeit with a stylistic difference.

99 points Ray Jordan businessnews.com.au

Swinney Farvie Syrah from Frankland River is quickly gaining a reputation as one of Western Australia's greatest expressions of Syrah—if not the greatest. Crafted by acclaimed winemaker Rob Mann, Farvie is all about precision, purity, and a deep connection to site. Sourced from meticulously managed, dry-grown bush vines in Frankland River, this Syrah is a powerful yet elegant statement of what the region can achieve.

In the glass, it’s a deep, luminous purple with an almost inky core. The nose is captivating, with layers of dark plum, black cherry, and boysenberry, lifted by floral notes of violet and rose petal. Beneath the fruit lies a savoury backbone—cracked black pepper, star anise, and a hint of cured meat—reflecting both the cool climate and Mann's careful winemaking touch.

On the palate, Farvie is nothing short of stunning. Juicy dark fruit is framed by ultra-fine tannins and vibrant acidity, creating a wine that's powerful yet incredibly refined. Flavours of blackberry, blueberry, and mulberry unfold alongside earthy spice, olive tapenade, and a whisper of graphite. The texture is silky but structured, while the finish is long, savoury, and seamlessly balanced.

This Syrah shines alongside chargrilled lamb, roasted duck, or a rich mushroom tart. It also pairs beautifully with aged hard cheeses or simply enjoyed on its own as a contemplative glass. While approachable now, Farvie is built for the long haul, with the potential to cellar for 10–15 years, gaining further complexity while retaining its vibrancy.

Swinney Farvie Syrah isn't just one of WA's best—it's a contender for Australia's finest cool-climate Syrah, period. If you’re lucky enough to find a bottle, don’t hesitate.