Swinney Mourvedre 2024
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“If you’re hunting the best of Australian wine then Swinney – in the Frankland River region of Western Australia – is simply a producer that you need to be familiar with. We’re talking genuine excitement here.” Campbell Mattinson | Australia’s Best Wineries
It’s one thing to aim for the stars; it’s quite another to have the tools to get there. Matt Swinney had a powerful vision to establish a benchmark and unique vineyard on his family’s property, situated on the gravelly, ironstone soils of the Frankland. His intention was always to found a benchmark wine label using only the finest fruit, but good things take time—especially when it comes to vines! Most plantings occurred in 1998, and the site quickly garnered a reputation for quality and originality. Innovations such as planting bush vines (the first in modern-day WA, where they are virtually unknown) and taking the leap with Grenache and Mourvèdre (in a region that many felt was too cool for these Mediterranean varieties) certainly raised eyebrows.
Echoing what has been said many times about Swinney’s Grenache, it is rare to find a Mourvèdre of this purity and distinction from Australian shores. This is Swinney’s fourth straight Mourvèdre bottling, and the wine is basking in the spotlight. The Mourvèdre is drawn from dry-grown bush vines on Wilsons Pool Vineyard, planted in the early 2000s on rich, gravelly-loam soils. The fruit was picked by hand when flavour and tannin were perfectly ripe, then sorted berry by berry and transferred via gravity to a single stainless-steel fermenter.
“This wine, grown from dry-grown bush vines on the Swinney Wilson's Pool Vineyard, illustrates the inherent qualities of mourvèdre in this region, along with distinctive vineyard character. It's medium-bodied with lovely fragrances and the regional influence of a slightly ironstone, ferrous note. The inclusion of 18% whole bunches with wild fermentation has added structure and texture, fleshing out the middle palate well. Further time on lees has built additional complexity. A stylish expression of mourvèdre.” 95pts | Ray Jordan
“This comes from dry-grown bush vines, was wild fermented, and spent eleven days on skins; matured in used, large-format oak barrels. Violet floral lift, scents of game meat, a good dose of cinnamon, garam masala, dried cranberry, dark cherry and cola. The palate is similarly set up – chewy and dusty with slender tannins, a core of dark fruit and woody spice, game meat finishes and is accompanied by herbs (fresh, dried and cool). It's a finely tuned expression, pure and fine boned, detailed with fruit, spice and savoury elements. Fantastic drinking.” 95 points | Mike Bennnie | Halliday Wine Companion
Organic Farming
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