Frankland Estate 2018 "Olmo's Reward" Red Wine Western Australia 750ml

In 1955, Professor Harold Olmo of UC Davis — one of the most influential viticulturists of the twentieth century — traveled to the remote, isolated Upper Frankland River region of Western Australia and reached a striking conclusion: this cool-climate corner of the Great Southern was equivalent to, or better than, the established quality wine districts of both Australia and California. Local vigneron Jack Mann shared the same conviction and encouraged Olmo to pursue it further. It would take decades, but Judi Cullam and Barrie Smith eventually founded Frankland Estate in 1988, betting on the very terroir Olmo had identified more than thirty years earlier. Olmo's Reward is the wine that honors his name and vindicates his judgment.

Today the estate is run by the second generation — Hunter and Elizabeth Smith — with Elizabeth's husband Brian Kent, who arrived in 2010, evolving the Olmo's Reward style through years of careful trial, vineyard refinement, and meticulous barrel selection. The wine is a Cabernet Franc-led blend sourced from the estate's Isolation Ridge vineyard, farmed organically on ancient ironstone and gravelly loam soils that give the fruit exceptional intensity balanced by real precision. The 2018 vintage stands, alongside 2014, as one of the two benchmark releases in the wine's entire history — a moment when, in the words of one detailed retrospective tasting, "great progress has been made in achieving the team's goals."

James Suckling found "blackberries, blackcurrants, earth, chocolate and cigar box... full-bodied with round, fine tannins, creamy, balanced and polished," awarding 93 points. Tony Love, writing for Halliday's Wine Companion, went further with 95 points: "intense yet lifted, energetic and mineral... vibrant redder cherry and mulberry-like aromas, concentrated by sympatico oak... even tannins add to an impressive complexity and lingering finish." This is one of only a handful of genuinely serious Cabernet Franc-driven blends produced anywhere in Australia — a wine on a clear trajectory, as one Western Australian retrospective put it, to become "a top echelon Western Australian cabernet blend."

Origins & Craftsmanship

Frankland Estate was established in 1988 by Judi Cullam and Barrie Smith in the remote Frankland River sub-region of the Great Southern, roughly 250 kilometers inland from Western Australia's coast. The estate's name and reputation rest on a recommendation made decades earlier: in 1955, Professor Harold Olmo of UC Davis visited the Upper Frankland River region and concluded it was equivalent to or better than established quality wine districts elsewhere in Australia and California — an assessment shared by respected local vigneron Jack Mann, who encouraged Olmo to explore the cool-climate potential of the Frankland River and Mount Barker sub-regions specifically.

Today Frankland Estate is run by the second generation of the founding family, siblings Hunter and Elizabeth Smith, who acquired and expanded the vineyard property starting in 2010. Elizabeth's husband Brian Kent joined as winemaker that same year and has played a central role in evolving Olmo's Reward through ongoing collaboration, vineyard trial and error, and increasingly precise barrel and fruit selection. While the estate's Riesling — particularly from the celebrated Isolation Ridge vineyard — has long been the flagship of the portfolio, Olmo's Reward represents the culmination of a longer, more gradual project to establish a serious Western Australian claret-style red.

The vineyards are farmed organically and sit on ancient ironstone and gravelly loam soils, with cool nights and a long, unhurried ripening season that together deliver fruit of real intensity without sacrificing balance. Olmo's Reward is a Cabernet Franc-led blend — in the 2018 vintage, sourced from the Isolation Ridge vineyard — combined with Malbec, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Merlot in proportions that shift slightly from year to year based on what each vintage delivers. In the cellar, the approach favors natural ferments and restrained oak use, preserving freshness and letting the site's particular character lead. The 2018 and 2014 vintages are widely regarded as the two benchmark releases in the wine's history to date — the moment the years of refinement most clearly paid off.

Critics Reviews

Tony Love / Halliday's Wine Companion — 95 Points:
"Sourced from the estate's Isolation Ridge vineyard. A cabernet franc-led blend and showing it, via vibrant redder cherry and mulberry-like aromas, concentrated by sympatico oak. It all comes into focus on the palate; intense yet lifted, energetic and mineral. Even tannins add to an impressive complexity and lingering finish."

James Suckling — 93 Points:
"Blackberries, blackcurrants, earth, chocolate and cigar box. It's full-bodied with round, fine tannins. Creamy, balanced and polished on the palate with a supple finish. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold."

Vintage Journal eJournal — extended retrospective tasting note:
"Medium deep crimson. Fresh red cherry, redcurrant, cassis, vanilla aromas with graphite/violet notes. Well concentrated blackcurrant, red currant, musky plum fruits, fine loose-knit/al dente textures, very good mid-palate volume, some vanilla/marzipan notes and integrated fresh acidity. Red fruit characters and a strong tannin presence... offset by very good inky density and maturation complexity. A firm bittersweet finish lengthens the palate. The elegance, energy, rusty/sturdy textures and vinosity are standout features of the style."

Tasting Profile

Nose
Medium deep crimson with purple hues — the Cabernet Franc-led blend's color signature from organically farmed Isolation Ridge fruit. Fresh red cherry, redcurrant, and cassis lead, with vanilla and graphite/violet notes adding structure and lift. Blackberries and blackcurrants add darker fruit depth, alongside earth, chocolate, and cigar box complexity. Dried Italian herbs and brambles thread through with savory character.

Palate
Full-bodied with round, fine tannins — creamy, balanced, and polished. The entry delivers bright sweet fruit, red berries, and plum with lifted floral notes. Well-concentrated blackcurrant, red currant, and musky plum carry the mid-palate alongside fine, loose-knit textures and very good volume. Vanilla and marzipan notes add warmth, integrated with fresh, minerally acidity. Energetic and mineral, with even tannins building toward genuine complexity.

Finish
Long and supple, with an impressive, lingering close. A firm bittersweet finish lengthens the palate, carrying notes of mocha and savory earth alongside the persistent red fruit and graphite character — beautifully balanced and effortlessly elegant, with the structure and fruit intensity to richly reward further cellaring.

Quick Overview

Food Pairings

• Roast lamb with rosemary
• Grilled venison or game
• Aged hard cheeses
• Braised beef short rib