2024 Swinney Farvie Mourvedre

The Swinney family has been farming their 3,000-hectare "Franklands" property since 1922, but it was the transition to viticulture in the late 1990s that established them as one of the most significant fruit sources in Western Australia. Under the guidance of fourth-generation siblings Matt and Janelle Swinney and acclaimed winemaker Rob Mann, the estate has shifted from being a prestigious grower for others to a benchmark producer in its own right. The Farvie range represents the pinnacle of their holdings, sourced exclusively from small, ironstone-rich pockets of the vineyard where bush-vine architecture and meticulous dry-farming are used to capture the singular, ferrous personality of the Frankland River.

Farvie Mourvedre is a "draconian" selection from dry-grown bush vines on leaner, gravel-heavy soils, fermented with 100% whole bunches to balance the natural rusticity of the fruit with a heightened spice element. The wine underwent 14 days on skins before maturing for 11 months in seasoned, large-format French oak, capturing the variety's most wild and emotive structural character.

Other Reviews....
This is not simply one of the best examples of Mourvèdre from Australia, it’s one of the best in the world. Cracking stuff. From the Frankland River region, the fruit is entirely from the Wilson’s Pool Vineyard. These are dry grown, bush vines. The fruit is hand-picked and the team use 100% whole bunches in the fermentation. The wine spends two weeks on skins before maturing for eleven months in large format, older French oak. Deep maroon hue, the nose reveals notes of cassis, blackberries, plums, some fleshy notes, smoked meats, chocolate, dried herbs and a touch of fruitcake. There is a silky texture through to satiny tannins along with very good length. A supple style, this is nicely balanced and the oak has been deftly handled. A fifteen-to-twenty-five-year proposition. Drink 2026-2046.
97 points
Ken Gargett - Wine Pilot

The 2024 Farvie Mourvèdre is ultra-aromatic from the glass. The fruit sits on the red-purple mulberry and raspberry end of the spectrum, while the tannins are spicy, dusty and profuse in the mouth. The spices err on the side of exoticism, with paprika dolce, pink peppercorn, nutmeg, campfire ash and something akin to persimmon. This is a beautiful wine; it is beguiling, intriguing and highly attractive. While this is a more restrained, tannic iteration than what we saw in 2023, it is defined by its tannic structure and medium-bodied fruit. It's a beauty. 13.6% alcohol, sealed under screw cap. Drink 2025-2039.
96 points
Erin Larkin - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

It’s expressive aromatically and it is in a pure way: it’s not floral, the fruit itself is ebullient. From there it’s one of the more seamless wines that you will encounter, in that the flavour notes all more or less meld as one. This wine presents the united colours of Mourvèdre. A bag of roasted nuts, fresh red and black cherries, leather, mint and almond paste characters all get a run, I guess, though I feel dirty trying to dissect such harmony. This is a wine of emphasis but it’s not a wine of density; it’s medium in weight if not lighter, though its general impact is significant. Tannin. I’ve been meaning to mention tannin. This is one of those wines where the tannin framework has no right to be so good. Drinking this wine is like staring at a large spider’s web, glistening with dew, and marvelling at its intricacy. It’s just bloody ridiculously good – as is the wine in its entirety. Drink 2026-2034+.
96 points
Campbell Mattinson - The Wine Front

The colour is deeper and richer than the grenache. Loads of punchy dark fruit characters, with that distinctive ironstone character which is evident in the grenache but not to the same extent. There’s an earthy gamey meat charcuterie character on the nose. The palate has a deep intensity. It’s a structured wine showing the firmness of the tannins. As it breathed, the seductive perfumed florals of this variety started to emerge. When I tasted it the next day, they were even more profound, suggesting great things ahead. Another example of how Farvie is pushing this Rhone variety into rarefied air among the world’s best. Cellar 30 years.
97 points
Ray Jordan