2024 Frankland Estate Isolation Ridge Syrah, Frankland River

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.

Frankland Estate made the deliberate shift from Shiraz to Syrah on this wine a few vintages back. It is a small but meaningful signal about where they see it sitting stylistically. Cool-climate, perfumed, medium-bodied, co-fermentation with small amounts of Viognier to lift the aromatics and a portion of whole bunches adding savoury complexity. Matured in large French oak foudres which build texture without leaving an oak signature on the fruit.

The 2024 comes in the house style defined by black pepper and spice. Vivid and persistent, it runs through a core of dark cherry, plum and ironstone minerality. The tannins are shapely and fine, the finish long and savoury with a floral lift that lingers.

This is a wine that rewards a couple of years in the bottle but doesn't demand it. Good company for a spiced duck breast, slow-roasted lamb shoulder with preserved lemon, or anything with enough depth to meet it on its own terms.