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The first key to understanding Swinney’s Riesling style is to appreciate the farming. All blocks are organic and dry-farmed, the vines are cane-pruned, and the row orientation is north to south. The team uses shade cloth in the Riesling blocks to protect the bunches from excessive sun exposure and avoid any roasted character in the fruit. Such precise vineyard management goes some way to explaining the wine’s purity and transparency.
The second key is in the cellar, where Rob Mann's search for structure and texture reigns supreme. The fruit — drawn from two of Swinney's oldest blocks in the Powderbark vineyard — is whole-bunch pressed, lightly settled and naturally fermented in neutral vessels, an approach built to let the purity of Frankland River Riesling shine through. Following fermentation, the wine rests on lees for three months, building texture while preserving freshness ahead of bottling. Mann isn't looking for austerity; he's after something more textural and aromatic, with flavour complexity and a high degree of fruit purity.