2025 Frankland Estate Isolation Ridge Riesling, Frankland River

Concentration-plus! Organically grown Isolation Ridge vineyard in the super cool Great Southern consistently produces one of the more concentrated and intense Rieslings in the country. The ’25 offers another superlative example. Super bright and zesty, it reveals hidden depths which excite now but, boy, in the future they will only intensify. Citrus blossom, lime zest, lime cordial, lemon with hints of curry leaf, lemongrass and sweet-smelling herbal aromas. Arrives zesty, zippy and dry with lime to the forefront. Lime and citrus carry forward with wildflower florals, wild herbs, a pinch of curry leaf and ginger – an exotic note – growing deeper and gathering weight and intensity as it closes. And the acidity, the wine’s secret weapon, is mouth-wateringly juicy fresh. Superb.

96 points Jeni Port for Wine Pilot, July 2025

This Riesling is the latest release from a vineyard that has drawn consistent praise from critics for years. What marks this wine out is the core: dense and focused, with lime, crushed slate and a savoury undercurrent that gives it real presence on the palate. The acidity is fine and purposeful rather than simply bright, and the finish carries that characteristic chalky-mineral tension long after the fruit has settled.

Bring this out for poached ocean trout with a light herb dressing, or a slow-cooked pork dish with fennel and citrus — anything that meets the wine's natural precision halfway. An aged bottle will have you reaching for altogether different recipes.

More about this wine

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.

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 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.

This wine is vegan friendly.