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Winemaker Rob Mann says this is “the most audacious, emotive wine” of the trio. It’s crafted from a draconian selection of dry-grown bush-vine bunches on the same kidney-shaped patch of dirt as the vines for the Farvie Grenache in the Wilson’s Pool Vineyard. The vines here face northeast on leaner topsoil and with a higher percentage of coarse lateritic gravel; the roots have now made it down into the clay beneath. Meticulous fruit-thinning and selective hand-harvesting over multiple passes ensures Swinney achieves fruit that is as close to perfect as possible.
As was the case in 2022, bunches and berries were small, requiring a moderation in the use of whole bunches in the ferment. Where this wine can sometimes be 100%, the proportion was a well-integrated 66% this year. According to Mann, the Farvie Mourvèdre works beautifully with stem inclusion. “It helps to balance the wildness, gaminess and rustiness of the fruit while accentuating the spice element of the wine.”
The wine spent 11 days on skins before being pressed to large, fine-grained, seasoned French oak vessels, where it matured for 10 months. It’s the wildest, most intoxicating of the three Farvie wines, compared evocatively by the maker to a deep dive into a 600-page novel.