Swinney Mourvèdre 2021
- 94
- $46
- Drink by: 2022-2032
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If winelovers were all a bit stunned when Swinney started offering amazing Grenache from Frankland River, they might be positively gobsmacked when they see what they are doing with Mourvèdre (including their Rosé). This is from dry grown, bush vines from their Wilson’s Pool vineyard, which was planted back in the early 2000’s. The fruit was berry sorted into a single stainless steel fermenter by way of gravity. 22% whole bunches were incorporated and wild fermentation was used. The wine then spent eleven days on skins before it was pressed to fine-grained, large format, seasoned French oak for eleven months maturation on skins. Deep red/garnet colour. The nose is all exotic spices, florals, cherries, raspberries, black olives and warm handfuls of freshly turned earth. One can almost envisage Lang Hancock back in the day when he first grabbed a handful of that red soil. There is an appealing plushness to all this. A wine of mid-length, with fine acidity, there is real grip here too. Leave it for three or four years to allow it to fully come together and reveal its glories at their best. Then drink it over the next six to ten years.
Ken was born and bred in Brisbane, Queensland. He had a non-trendy, perfectly happy childhood, in a family convinced alcohol meant instant condemnation to Hades. But a break fishing on the Great Barrier Reef, and some good wine, started a serious obsession that eventually took over. It did not stop Ken being chastised later for drinking Pol champagne, disgusted he’d drink anything made by a Cambodian dictator. Now, Ken mostly writes on wine, champagne and spirits for various newspapers, magazines and books, but is perhaps best known for his work in The Courier Mail. He also has a little sideline writing on cigars, fishing, travel and food. When not writing, fly-fishing for trout in NZ or bonefish on the flats of Cuba, travelling or smoking cigars, he is no doubt following a variety of sporting teams – the occasionally glorious Queensland Reds rugby, the dysfunctional Washington Redskins, the dodgy Arsenal and especially revels in the world restored to its proper axis with the return of the Ashes to their rightful home.
