Frankland Estate Olmo’s Reward 2020

The Smith family has a high emotional and practical investment in Cabernet Franc. The French grape variety grows super well on the Isolation Ridge vineyard, and it’s the undoubted star of Olmo’s Reward. In the 2020 vintage it represents a considerable 78.4% of the blend together with a splash of Mourvèdre, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec. Its contribution is significant, with marked acidity and grippy tannins calling the tune in both structure and a lingering finish, while black fruits, pepper and crushed gravel roam the palate. Together with its blending buddies the effect is quite marked. Its intention is clear, it demands more time in bottle. Dusty, earthy, leather and cedar notes join with blackberry intensity, anise and eucalypt. It softens as it opens up with air but, the right thing to do here, is to wait.

Jeni Port

Wine critic at Winepilot

Jeni Port is one of Australia’s top wine communicators. Based in Melbourne, Jeni created the first wine column in the (then) Sun News-Pictorial before moving over to The Age and becoming that paper’s longest-serving wine writer. Over the years she has written for most Australian wine magazines and these days calls WinePilot home. She is also a Tasting Panel member on the Halliday Wine Companion. She was named Wine Communicator of the Year and Legend of the Melbourne Food and Wine Festival in 2014 and in 2018 Legend of the Vine. She is a founding board member of Australian Women In Wine and is the co-deputy chair of Australia’s Wine List of the Year Awards and China’s Wine List of the Year Awards.

Wine writer and critic