2023 Swinney Grenache

Highly Rated
Benchmark bush vine Grenache from Frankland River in WA. Rare and wonderful wine.
4.7
Rated 4.7 out of 5 stars
9 Reviews

Price:
Sale price$44.00
Stock:
In stock, ready to ship
Rendering loop-subscriptions

Description

This is arguably the best Grenache produced in Western Australia and now one of the most consistently excellent examples in the whole country.

Swinney have in recent years risen to the top of WA's winemaking ranks, and with the enviable combination of Rhys Thomas, one of the most respected viticulturists in the West, Rob Mann, a sixth-generation winemaker who's name is synonymous WA wine, and their remarkable, ironstone-soiled, Frankland River bush vines, it comes as no surprise.

The Swinney Grenache is at once powerful yet svelte, with a unique ferrous character that is unique to this renowned vineyard. The reviews for this Grenache are consistently exceptional, and it is a must-try for any Grenache lover.

96 points
"The pretty much perfect season in Frankland River has resulted in some of the best grenache yet released from this region. This is certainly a case in point... A ripper."
- Ray Jordan (www.rayjordanwine.com.au)

95 points
"The Swinney vineyard in Frankland River has rewritten the map for Australian grenache, pulling focus from the traditional South Australian heartland and shining a light on WA's remote south-west..."
- Nick Ryan (www.theaustralian.com.au, Best Wines of 2024 & Top 20 Red Wines Over $35, November 2024)

94 points
"Exceptional purity of fruit... You have to like a bit of tannin, it really puts the squeeze on, but it’s very good. Simultaneously satiny and wild."
- Campbell Mattinson (www.winefront.com.au, November 2024)

96 points - “The pretty much perfect season in Frankland River has resulted in some of the best grenache yet released from this region. This is certainly a case in point. Yes, it’s soft and supple with plush red fruits and florals, but there is a more serious structure and purpose through the middle palate. Radiates brightness from its deep crimson red hues and bursts from the palate with unbridled enthusiasm. A ripper.” - Ray Jordan (www.rayjordanwine.com.au, August 2024)

95 points - “The Swinney vineyard in Frankland River has rewritten the map for Australian grenache, pulling focus from the traditional South Australian heartland and shining a light on WA’s remote south-west. Tight and coiled at first, it unfurls gloriously in the glass to reveal dark raspberry and cranberry aromatics, a fleshy, gently gamey core of fruit, and a complex weave of fine, gravelly tannins.” - Nick Ryan (www.theaustralian.com.au, Best Wines of 2024 & Top 20 Red Wines Over $35, November 2024)

94 points - “Exceptional purity of fruit. Redcurrant with an edge of pink marshmallow, plus some twiggy spice, plus some rusty tin/ferrous characters. It’s dry and tannic but svelte with bright, pink, red-berried fruit. You have to like a bit of tannin, it really puts the squeeze on, but it’s very good. Simultaneously satiny and wild.” - Campbell Mattinson (The Wine Front)

Customer Reviews

4.7
Rated 4.7 out of 5 stars
Based on 9 reviews
Total 5 star reviews: 6 Total 4 star reviews: 3 Total 3 star reviews: 0 Total 2 star reviews: 0 Total 1 star reviews: 0
9 reviews
  • GG
    Gary G.
    Verified Buyer
    Wine Knowledge Level Cork Dork
    1 year ago
    Wine Knowledge Level Cork Dork
    2022 Swinney Grenache
    Reviewing
    2022 Swinney Grenache
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    Swinney Grenache review

    Lovely example of the variety. The Mourvèdre is a touch better though.

  • WP
    Wayne P.
    Verified Buyer
    Wine Knowledge Level Enthusiast
    2 years ago
    Wine Knowledge Level Enthusiast
    2022 Swinney Grenache
    Reviewing
    2022 Swinney Grenache
    Rated 4 out of 5 stars
    Good buying

    Takes a while to open up but wxce;;ent finish

  • BT Profile picture for Bryn T.google logo
    Bryn T.
    Verified Buyer
    Wine Knowledge Level Cork Dork
    2 years ago
    Wine Knowledge Level Cork Dork
    2022 Swinney Grenache
    Reviewing
    2022 Swinney Grenache
    Rated 5 out of 5 stars
    Great Expression I’ll

    Shouldn’t work but it does. Great Southern Grenache? Darker and more iodine/ink than expected but so well done. A triumph.

Reviews LoadedReviews Added

Tasting Notes
Deep garnet with purple hues. Aromas of rose hip, perfume, potpourri, dark spice, squid ink, and red licorice. Very youthful with primary juicy acidity, pomegranate, and pithy notes, offering great clarity, length, and a savoury, chalky tannin finish.

Vineyard Notes
Fruit was hand-picked from dry-grown, established bush vines on the Swinney Wilson’s Pool vineyard. Fruit thinning and selective hand harvesting over several passes ensured as close to perfect fruit as possible.

Production Notes
The fruit was hand-picked, destemmed, berry sorted, and transferred to small wooden and stainless steel fermenters via gravity. 20% whole bunches and wild fermentation were incorporated to build structure and texture, providing a framework to express the distinctive aromatics and flavours of Grenache. The wine spent two weeks on skins before being pressed directly to fine-grained, large-format, seasoned French oak. It was aged on lees for 11 months before bottling. Made with minimal effective sulphites, the wine is unfined and minimally filtered.

Other Notes
100% Grenache

Price Bracket $41 to $50
Type Red
Body Medium Bodied
Variety Grenache
Country Australia
Region Great Southern
Australian State WA
Feature High Score
Reviewed By The Wine Front
Ray Jordan
The Australian
Critic Score 94
96
95
Size 750ml
Vintage 2023
Closure Screw Cap

Swinney

The Swinney family's roots in Frankland River stretch back over 100 years.

George John Alexander Swinney was a pioneer of the region, settling a grazing property in Franklands in 1922. Today the property is run by fourth generation brother and sister, Matt and Janelle Swinney. They are taking the family property into great new territory.

Bush vines litter the property. Riesling, Grenache, Syrah and Mourvedre are fining a very happy home on the ironstone slopes above the Frankland River.

Now, with Rhys Thomas as viticulturist and vineyard manager since 2021, and sixth generation winemaker Rob Mann crafting the wines in the cellar, this label is on track to become one of the regional benchmarks in short order.

The Swinney family - Frankland River, WA Swinney

Others also liked

Recently viewed

Shipping

Delivery is free on orders of $150 or more!

For orders under this amount, delivery is calculated at checkout based on your postcode. You can order in any quantity or combination of wines you like. Straight dozens are not required.

We will dispatch your order the same or next business day.

Estimated delivery transit time varies depending on your location. Please review this page for specific estimates.

Sydney (Our Vans): If no one is home and there are no special delivery instructions our driver will try to call for instructions. If the driver believes there is a safe space to leave your wine they will do so if not, they will return the item to us and hold your order until further instruction from you. 

Melbourne (Anonymous Wine Freight): If no one is home and there are no special delivery instructions, the courier will try to call for instructions. If the driver believes there is a safe space to leave your wine they will do so. if not, they will return the item to their dispatch centre and hold until further instruction from you.

Australia Post: Australia Post will leave the parcel if they have been given authority to leave and it is deemed safe to do so. To give your Authority to Leave, please enter this in the 'SPECIAL REQUEST' box at checkout.

Ordering

We want Different Drop customers to always be getting the best price. If you see a lower price elsewhere, just get in touch and we will sort it out for you. We handle all our price-matching on a case by case basis.

Some things to keep in mind: 

  • Retrospective price-matching is available for 30 days after you have purchased from us.
  • The price match cannot be used in conjunction with a coupon or one-off deal we are offering. The idea is for you to get the best price in the market so if that is already achieved through a coupon then we won't price match on top of that.
  • We don't price match clearance or fire sales.
  • We’ll match the listed price as long as it is a legitimate offer and the competing store is actually able to fulfil the order (they have stock or more stock is en route). Essentially we won't price match cheeky vendors listing wines they have no hope of actually getting for you...
  • It must be a publicly listed price. We won't match a price that has been achieved through a coupon/cash-back arrangement, or through a non-advertised offer over the phone or otherwise.  
  • It is limited to a reasonable retail quantity.

We'll treat each price match request on its merit and reserve the right to refuse where we deem fit. For example, particularly rare wines, from non-trust-worthy vendors, in circumstances we deem illegitimate or if we feel our policy is being unfairly taken advantage of.

At the end of the day, we'll look after you and use common sense to ensure you're getting the best price, please just don't take the p%$$!

No, feel free to mix it up! There is no minimum requirement. You can order wines in any quantity or combination, 1 or 50+ bottles.

We stock three different sized gift boxes (single, three bottle and six), all are available for purchase for a flat rate of $8. They look great and make an awesome impression.

To add a gift box to your order, simply add at checkout. The special requests box is your friend, please give us as many details of what you are looking for and we will try our best, or get in contact to discuss it with you. 

If you want to bulk order gifts or if you have any trouble please email hello@differentdrop.com or call and we can try and help.

 

If you can't add more wine to your cart it means we are low on stock of that wine. For example, if you are only able to 3 bottles and no more that means we only have 3 bottles left of that wine. If it's a must have, please contact us and we may be able to order more in for you.

Call Us

Send a message