Swinney - 2024 Farvie Syrah
The Farvie Syrah is drawn from dry-grown, vertically trellised vines from the Powderbark B2 and Wilson Pool 801 ‘garden project’ vineyard sites. Only a sub-section of the soil in both blocks is earmarked for Farvie, with the vines fostered to nourish and balance the fruit, enabling dry farming. The use of shade cloth on the side of the vines that receives the afternoon sun, and rigorous shoot positioning and bunch selection, further refine the unique expression that is so critical to this fruit's personality. Here, Rob Mann used 67% whole bunches, and the wine aged in fine-grained, large format barrels for 11 months.
Mann fosters the Farvie plot’s innate savoury, ironstone and ferrous character, pushing it to take a lead role in the wine. Importantly, no new oak is used in the Farvie Syrah. “I’m more interested in perfume, florals and personality than I am in the wine having heavy density and richness,” he explains. “By using no new oak, you have to think a bit harder about how to build complexity, structure and perfume in Syrah,” he goes on. “We build that complexity through viticulture, bunches and time on lees.” 13.8% alcohol.
“The combination of different blocks adds to its deep complexity, with the dark spicy fruit of one block and the blue fruit perfumes of the other. Delve deeper, and then an earthy gamey nori-like character starts spiralling out. There’s plenty of plummy palate coating fruit, which continues to its palate feel and rich opulence. Seamlessly structured with firm tannins and that understated integrated oak working seamlessly within the core of concentrated fruit.” 97 points, Ray Jordan, RayJordanWine.com.au
“The colour is a vibrant purple magenta. On the nose we have notes of leather and truffles, animal hides, charcuterie, black fruits, beef stock, soy, hints of florals and a touch of blackcurrants. There is real power here, but everything is in balance. Good intensity throughout with juicy acidity and abundant, fine, powdery tannins. A wine which will easily see out the next fifteen to twenty years.” 98 points, Ken Gargett, WinePilot.com
“In 2024, Farvie Syrah is The Guardsman. I was half expecting this majestic Syrah to parade precocity and openness, given the welcome afforded by the other two wines, but not a bit of it. Farvie Syrah has stuck religiously to the handbook, and it offers up a ramrod spine set about with perfectly pressed fruit, starched tannic lines and a gleamingly keen mineral pedestal on which it stands stock still. I love the part-brutal, part-brittle anti-fruit detail here, which keeps the plush red and black berry eagerness under control. The spiciness is teasing and raking, but never overbearing, and only when the finish looms you sense a creeping presence of malevolence, which is always welcome in this wine. This is a statuesque Syrah, and it possesses remarkable grip and intensity given its reasonable alcohol level. And that concludes the 2024 Farvie collection. This fascinating story continues with yet another unmissable chapter of wines.” 19+/20 points, Matthew Jukes
