Bearing honour to its name, Isolation Ridge is one of Australia’s most remote vineyards; a site tucked-away, in one of the country’s most isolated and sparsely populated wine regions. It has been lovingly farmed for more than 30 years with a combined family experience of over 120 vintages. The distinctive aroma, flavour profile and underlying structure is an unmistakable hallmark of the Smith-Cullam family’s special patch of dirt.

“This year’s single-vineyard release from the Frankland Estate clan is tinged with touch of sadness as it’s the first since Barrie Smith’s passing late last year. But I tell you what, he would be proud of these releases AND the way that the Smith-Cullam clan continue to tell their story and live out his dreams through the wines! The release has been beautifully summed up by the winery here – all that’s left to do for the rest if us is to sit back and enjoy as many bottles of these as we can get out hands on. I know I’ll be doing just that for the cellar at home.” – Patrick Walsh, CellarHand, April 2023

“This kind of viticultural intimacy, required to make truly great wine, is the sort that can be seen in our team at Frankland Estate. Our daily routines in the vineyard and winery show great thoughtfulness and minute attention to detail. This level of fine tuning and knowledge only comes from living and breathing the vineyard life we live…Riesling and Syrah have been a particular focus, and the results speak for themselves. Our crusade for the last eight-odd years – and especially since our 2015 release – has been Riesling ripeness levels that give optimal texture and flavour. We continue to modestly push ahead with this, in step with what Isolation Ridge allows us. With Syrah, the combination of vine age with natural balance of soil, vine and wine allows the ferrous nature of Isolation Ridge to come more to the fore. We’re also thinking beyond straight Syrah to reveal how new clones, plus the region’s oldest planting of Mourvèdre, elevate this wine.” – Hunter Smith, Frankland Estate