2025 Swinney Syrah, Frankland River

The boldest and richest of the Rhône triumvirate of syrah, grenache and mourvèdre. The colour is a deep inky red. The nose is an intense and engaging spicy plum and dark chocolate combination. And then a palate that is both structured and supple, with a fine thread of mineral, ironstone tannins, some well-weighted, understated oak and stacks of plush, lush fruit. Scrumptious, delicious wine.

96 points Ray Jordan Wine Review 2027

This delivers on the promise of the syrah moniker. It opens with gamey notes and Italianate herbal whiffs, dark cherry, woody spices and a hint of white pepper. The medium-weight palate is inky, quite rich yet lively, with more game meat, forest berries, a liberal dusting of white pepper, and truffle notes chiming in, too. There's a building grip of fine yet succulent tannin, a graphite note amongst that. Add this all up, and you've a very fine expression of syrah, unapologetically savoury and tannin-hewn, which is great, really. Drink to 2035.

95 points & Special Value Mike Bennie for Halliday Wine Companion, September 2026

A marvellously dense (inky even) yet aromatically pretty, cool climate Syrah. Boysenberries, mulberries and liquorice. It smells bloody good. In the mouth, it is bound tight, the black fruits tart and detailed. There’s also a savoury, slightly ferrous undertone of plum skins, lead pencil and pressed violets. The tannins are charged and squeaky, the acid vibrant, and the overall vibe, classy. Drink to 2038.

94 points Cyndal Petty for Wine Pilot, September 2026

The Swinney family have been farmers in the Frankland River area of the Great Southern region in WA since 1922. The large 2,500-hectare property was originally purely devoted to livestock grazing, with the first vines planted in the late 1990s.

Today, fourth-generation siblings Matt and Janelle are steering the family business, and their much-enlarged vineyard is a respected supplier of premium contract-grown fruit to numerous Western Australian wineries managed by a team led by viticulturist Rhys Thomas. It is also the source for the uniformly excellent Swinney wines made by the talented Rob Mann.