World’s top wine writer heaps praise on Riesling & Shiraz
“If this is the entry-level Riesling, what the heck are the other ones going to be like?!” That’s the sound of the great Jancis Robinson having her socks knocked off by Frankland Estate’s Riesling. “Very much Great Southern style of Riesling, which is so distinctive and so delicious.”
Jancis admitted she rarely found a vineyard that produced both a red and white that she loved equally. The Smith Cullam clan bucked that trend. “Like the entry-level Riesling, this is a star!” she said of the 2017 Estate Shiraz, which starred alongside the 2019 Riesling as twin Wines of the Week on jancisrobinson.com. Of the Shiraz, she wrote “Very clean and peppery with sweet fruit but real energy… So obviously Syrah (rather than Shiraz) and really fresh and refreshing without being tart.”
Here in Australia we’ve been on the 2020 vintage of the Riesling for a while (and keep your eye out for the forthcoming single-vineyard release!), while the Shiraz has just rolled to 2018. But rest assured, you’re getting that same ridiculous value and quality that bowled Jancis over, right across this entry-level price point.
After all, this is – as Jancis reminds us – “a superb, family-run, ecologically sensitive estate in a beautiful, extremely isolated location”.
2020 Frankland Estate Riesling $30
A very crystalline Riesling on the nose with hints of white citrus flower and blossom. The soft and delicate approach builds with a combination of lime and bath salts. Delicate crystalline flavours on the palate show a dry precise Riesling with texture, spice and delicate acidity that give the wine focus and fantastic length. Consistent with the well-established Rieslings from Frankland Estate, this wine displays the balance of pristine fruit flavours and laser-like acidity, allied to generosity of fruit. – Hunter Smith, Frankland Estate
2018 Frankland Estate Chardonnay $30
Light yellow colour with a spicy, smoky reduction bouquet, which is quite complex and inviting. Its mid-palate is fine and restrained but loaded with grapefruit flavours, the palate refined and taut, long and crisp, with lively energy and a clean, crisp and dry follow-through. Grapefruit flavours are the main event.
92 points. Huon Hooke, The Real Review
2018 Frankland Estate Shiraz $30
Lovely Shiraz, bit of a treat. Graphite, clove, dark chocolate and ripe black cherry. Both dry and generous at once. Sweet-fruited and savoury. Nuanced. Flows effortlessly but there’s tannin here too. Medium-weight in a good way. All those things.
93 points. Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front
2018 Frankland Estate Cabernet Sauvignon $30
Loads of charm to the bouquet, cinnamon and mixed red berries, raspberry coulis and toasty, cedary oak. It’s silken and beautifully balanced – ripe fruit allowed to sing without the heavy hand of oak. Exceptional value.
94 points. Nick Butler, The Real Review