Fine cool climate Aussie wines from Frankland Estate

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Fine cool climate Aussie wines from Frankland Estate

frankand estate

Head 250 km east of the Margaret River wine region in Western Australia, and you’ll hit the remote Frankland River region. With the coast quite a distance south, this is a cool climate wine region. Frankland Estate was established here in 1988 on the Smith family sheep station, and has established quite a reputation for its wines. Summers are warm and dry but the vines are dry grown, with their own Isolation Ridge vineyard organically farmed: there are very few pests and diseases here. I recently tasted through the range and was impressed. These are my notes.

Frankland Estate Riesling 2016 Frankland River, Western Australia
12.5% alcohol. Estate grown. Lovely bright lemony fruit is the dominant theme here, with some mandarin richness. It’s pretty, delicate and vibrant with a juicy quality, and nice texture, too. Floral and generous with good balance, it’s a delight to drink. 92/100

Frankland Estate Isolation Ridge Riesling 2016 Frankland River, Western Australia
12.5% alcohol. Organic. Beautifully aromatic, floral nose with delicate citrus fruits. The palate is light, balanced and deliciously fruity with a juicy, mineral character. Lovely purity and elegance to this wine. 93/100

frank land estate chardonnay

Frankland Estate Chardonnay 2014 Frankland River, Western Australia
13% alcohol. Certified organic, estate grown. Fresh and expressive with fine lemony fruit, some pear and white peach richness, and a touch of grapefruit pith. It’s a very linear style of Chardonnay with unobtrusive oak and a focus on the cool-climate fruit characters, with just a bit of nutty toasty warmth on the finish. Sophisticated and cellar-worthy. 93/100

Frankland Estate Shiraz 2014 Frankland River, Western Australia
14% alcohol. From estate-grown fruit, ironstone soils. I love the vivid, meaty black cherry and blackberry fruit here. Sweet but very fresh with good acidity, and a peppery, detailed edge. There’s a slight leafy edge and nice grip. Deliciously focused, this is a very stylish cool-climate expression of Shiraz. 92/100

Frankland Estate Isolation Ridge Shiraz 2014 Frankland River, Western Australia
14.1% alcohol. Organic. Lovely sweetly aromatic nose of black cherries with some pepper and mint. The palate has lovely silky texture with some iodine, blood and meat, combining ripe berry fruits with mint, ginger and pepper. It’s a very supple, fresh, elegant expression of Shiraz that has some sweet fruit, but also good precision and focus, and a savoury dimension. Quite serious, but also very drinkable. 93/100

Frankland Estate Olmo’s Reward 2013 Frankland River, Western Australia
13.5% alcohol. This is named after Dr Harold Olmo who first identified the viticultural potential of Frankland River in Western Australia, well before it was planted. It’s based on Cabernet Franc, with other Bordeaux varieties making up the mix. This is so fresh and direct with a lovely bright black cherry and blackcurrant core, with supple juicy leafy berry notes. There’s good concentration and acidity here, with some richness but also spicy, minty freshness. Still primary, with a bright future ahead of it. A really lovely, fresh, balanced wine. 94/100

These wines are available in the UK through their agent Berry Bros & Rudd

Find these wines with wine-searcher.com

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