98+ Points - Erin Larkin Wine Advocate
The 2023 Farvie Grenache bears all the hallmarks of the tremendous 2023 vintage: It has levity and grace, detail and freshness, without weight. It is intense, with a core of pure fruit, and the wine has a lower pH and higher acid thanks to the seasonal conditions, with 30% whole bunches and fermentation in old oak, with maturation in large-format old oak. The vineyard is highly attractive; there are bush vines on the crest of a sloping, sun-drenched hill, and the wines convey that windswept freshness and structure. I love the fruit here—a core of raspberry, strawberry, blood plum and even cranberry—yet it is the tannins that I must look to for critical assessment; here, they are pliable, fresh, spicy, savory and veritably plume through the fruit. This is seamless structure and ductile length at its best. This is an exciting wine, all the more so given it is from the spectacular 2023 vintage. We have so little framework for premium Grenache outside of South Australia, and yet here, in Frankland River, the high-tide mark is set. I'll be saying this frequently throughout the 2023 releases from Western Australia: this is the best Grenache made yet under the Farvie label. 14% alcohol, sealed under screw cap.
