An AU$40 Shiraz from Frankland River just took Decanter Best in Show
Ferngrove’s 2023 Dragon Shiraz scored 97. First wine from Frankland River to win it, first from Western Australia outside Margaret River. The dragon is a native orchid.
An AU$40 Shiraz from Frankland River just beat the room.
Ferngrove’s 2023 Dragon Shiraz scored 97 and Best in Show at the 2026 Decanter World Wine Awards. First wine from the region to take it. First from Western Australia outside Margaret River. Fifty Best in Show from nearly 17,000 wines — the top 0.3 percent. Five other Ferngrove wines took gold or silver.
The name is a native orchid, not a Chinese dragon. Fruit from Block 11, planted in 1998. Alcohol 14.5 percent. Judges: refined, delicate, pure, a poised midweight. Floral, red fruit, long.
Frankland sits at about 228 metres in the Great Southern. Nights are cool. The Albany Doctor knocks afternoon heat by about 2°C. Ironstone on the Yilgarn Craton, more than 2.6 billion years old. Henry Xu, Ferngrove’s China supply-chain director: if Margaret River’s freshness is maritime, Frankland’s is diurnal.
Andrew Blythe, the general manager: the prize belongs to growers who believed in the region before the medal.
Mini-concept: the same alcohol as a big Barossa can still taste like perfume if the nights are cold.
A flavoured can has no orchid. This Shiraz is named for one that only grows here.
Remember: AU$40, 97 points, first Frankland River Best in Show.
Source: Vino Joy News