Frankland Estate spotlight
Visit the remote, family-run Isolation Ridge vineyard and see why organic farming, ironstone soils, and careful cellar work define Frankland Estate.
A 97-Point Isolation Ridge Syrah for $22
Floral, peppery, mineral Australian Syrah with serious structure and startling value.
The 2020 Isolation Ridge is a tiny-production, certified-organic Syrah from ironstone gravel and loam in remote Western Australia. It brings rose petals, red and purple fruit, white pepper, ferrous minerality, and a long savory finish. At $22—$73 below the supplied $95 winery-price reference—this is the kind of cellar-worthy wine that can still become a weeknight favorite.
77% below supplied reference
Four reasons to make room for the six
The discount is dramatic, but the vineyard, farming, vintage, and winemaking explain why the bottle deserves attention beyond price.
A singular place
Ironstone gravel, loam, clay subsoil, and north- and east-facing slopes give the wine its ferrous grip and savory identity.
A tiny, selective vintage
The dry 2020 season produced a very small crop, with rigorous selection leaving only about 600 cases.
Organic farming with purpose
Certified organic since 2009, the vineyard is managed to let the Isolation Ridge site speak clearly.
Syrah, not blockbuster Shiraz
Medium-bodied freshness, floral lift, pepper, and fine tannin make this more Rhône-like and articulate than heavy.
The 97-point review leads
Ray Jordan’s exact-vintage 97-point score is the headline. Wine Advocate and Halliday add independent exact-vintage support.
Six-Bottle Value Comparison
One unit throughout: six bottles at ShopWineSlash versus six bottles at the supplied $95 reference.
Six bottles at ShopWineSlash total $132. The supplied $95-per-bottle reference totals $570 for the same six-bottle quantity.
The difference is $438 across the allocation, or about 77% below the supplied reference. The $95 figure is labeled as supplied for this promotion rather than independently verified.
That value makes the wine flexible: open it with dinner, share it with Syrah drinkers, and still keep bottles to follow as the floral and savory layers evolve.
Total savings across six bottles versus the supplied six-bottle reference.
Add any six more ShopWineSlash bottles to reach 12 and ship free.
Secure Your AllocationFlowers, pepper, ironstone, and fresh dark fruit
Elegant and medium-bodied, with vivid fruit and savory detail rather than simple weight.
Frankland Estate describes 2020 as a very small-cropping, drier season, with only about 600 cases made after rigorous selection. Modest growing-season temperatures preserved natural vibrancy and balance despite the dry conditions.
Rose petals, lavender, red currant, blood plum, anise, and white pepper.
Wild blackberry, raspberry, blackcurrant, and fresh red-purple fruit.
Fine, ferrous tannins and bright acidity give the wine shape without heaviness.
Ironstone, iodine, earth, fennel, and spice keep the finish complex.
Pour at 60–64°F in a generous red-wine stem.
Give it 30–45 minutes of air when opening now.
Fresh berries, white pepper, and firm ironstone tannin lead.
Rose petals, blood plum, and savory spice widen through the middle.
Fennel, earth, and ferrous minerality carry the long finish.
Floral lift, vivid berries, pepper, and energetic acidity.
Expect more dried flowers, earth, anise, and integrated tannin.
Open for softer fruit, tertiary spice, and deeper mineral detail.
Gentle extraction, large-format French oak
The cellar work is designed to preserve perfume and freshness while giving the wine enough structure for long ageing.
Fermentation: Shallow open-pot fermenters are kept relatively cool, with gentle plunging and temperatures generally below 27°C during the 10–15 day ferment.
Whole bunch and blending: Six percent of the wine was fermented as whole bunch. Co-fermented Viognier lifts the aromatics, while a small portion of old-vine Mourvèdre adds earth and ferrous tannin.
Ageing: Fifteen months in 3,500-litre French oak foudre builds texture without covering the Isolation Ridge character.
Isolation is part of the identity
A family-run organic estate in one of Western Australia’s most remote fine-wine regions.
Judi Cullam and Barrie Smith established Isolation Ridge Vineyard in 1988, when Frankland River was still far from the center of Australia’s fine-wine conversation. Their children now carry the estate forward with winemaker Brian Kent.
The vineyard sits on undulating northern and eastern slopes over ironstone gravel, loam, and clay. That soil profile is central to the wine’s recurring ferrous, earthy character.
Frankland Estate’s organic certification and small-scale approach are not marketing decoration. They are the practical tools used to make the remote site legible in the glass.
Lamb and pepper-crusted ribeye
Both pairings connect directly to the wine’s pepper, herbs, mineral tannin, and fresh dark-fruit profile.
Use rosemary and grill smoke to pull forward the wine’s floral-herbal side, or black pepper and marbled beef to meet its structure head-on.
Serve at 60–64°F and decant for 30–45 minutes. The wine has enough freshness for grilled herbs and enough tannin for richly browned beef.
Garlic Rosemary Grilled Lamb Chops
Rosemary, garlic, and grilled lamb echo the Syrah’s floral, herbal, and savory tones without overwhelming its medium-bodied shape.
Why it works: Lamb richness softens the ferrous tannin while rosemary and char meet the wine’s pepper and earth.
View Recipe for garlic rosemary grilled lamb chops (opens in a new tab)
Peppercorn-Crusted Ribeye
Black pepper mirrors the wine’s spice, while the ribeye’s marbling gives the fine tannins something substantial to grip.
Why it works: The browned crust and beef richness bring forward blackberry, blood plum, and savory mineral notes.
View Recipe for peppercorn-crusted ribeye (opens in a new tab)97 Points. Organic. $22. Take the Six.
Isolation Ridge delivers the perfume and finesse of Syrah, the mineral authority of Frankland River, and one of the strongest value propositions in the cellar.
Lamb chops, pepper-crusted ribeye, roast beef, mushrooms, and grilled sausages all suit the wine’s savory frame.
The technical sheet gives the wine a long window, with structure and finesse designed to reward patience.
Open one, share one, and keep several bottles to watch the floral and mineral layers deepen.
Six bottles • $132. The supplied $95 reference totals $570 for six, making the allocation savings $438.
