2025 Frankland Estate Riesling, Frankland River

High-end stuff. Juicy and bright; a zingy citrus core in red apple, tart green pear, gingery notes, mint leaf, chalky minerality and a general sense of tartness. It's very well balanced, composed, controlled and long lived. Finishes with a gentle, palate-staining intensity and residual freshness. Lots of true-to-variety riesling scents and flavours, heaps of joy and general vivacity; just a straight-up banger of a drink. Drink 2026 to 2033.

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

Cracking value Riesling from the Great Southern in Western Australia, the wine is fermented almost entirely in stainless steel and then spends four months on lees to enhance the texture. The fruit is sourced from a range of vineyards on the estate. Pale lemon in hue, this is beautifully structured. Intense, with minerally notes, talc, citrus and florals, limes and grapefruit, with a hint of honeysuckle, the structure is seamless, and there is impeccable balance, focus and length. This will drink delightfully for the next fifteen years. Drink 2026 to 2041.

94 points Ken Gargett for Wine Pilot, February 2026

Brisk, bright acidity makes for a well-structured wine laying the groundwork for a youthful, concentrated Riesling from a region that produces some of the best Riesling in the country.  Offers an engaging bouquet in citrus lemon, grapefruit, green apple with just the lightest of spices.  It is a fine-edged, beautifully subtle Riesling. The palate is taut but nicely textural, too, with lime zest and juiciness to the fore before finishing on a lemon pastille note, clean and tangy. It’s a great combination of acid/fruit/texture and, if you are after an age-worthy Riesling, it fits the bill. Or not. It can very easily be opened today. Drink 2026 to 2035.

93 points Jeni Port for Wine Pilot, February 2026

The 2025 Riesling is aromatically soft and talcy, with flowers, soap, shells and sweet orchard fruit. This is all pears and apples—it's lovely. In the mouth, the wine is flavorsome yet restrained, with a persistent splay of flavor through the finish. This is really good, and really good value for money. Drink 2026 to 2035.

93 points Erin Larkin for The Wine Advocate, April 2026

The 2025 Riesling is approachable and open-knit with a punchy array of lime and brown pear aromas lifted by nice touches of wet stones and spice. Fresh, drying acidity is well integrated and delivers a streamlined texture with solid power and length to finish. It's already drinking well but has the structure to hold for a while. Drink 2025 to 2033.

91 points Angus Hughson for Vinous, January 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 Riesling is fermented in stainless steel and given four months on lees before bottling. That lees contact adds a quiet textural depth without softening the wine's essential brightness. The 2025 has the clean, composed character that defines this wine. Aromas of lime, green apple and pear sit alongside talc, a touch of ginger and delicate florals. The palate is taut and mineral-driven, with citrus and orchard fruit running through a finish that is long, clean and faintly saline.

It's an easy wine to drink young, but the structure is there for anyone who wants to wait a few years. This is good company for freshwater trout with herbs, a Vietnamese chicken salad, or anything with lemon and a bit of care put into it.

This wine is vegan friendly.