Our former Australian buyer, Thomas, fell in love with the previous vintage of the Swinney Rosé and ranked it with his top rosés of the world, Domaine Tempier included. After reading his glowing review of the 2023 Rosé, I must admit I was more than a bit intrigued. Two rosés, both based upon Mourvedre, but from completely opposite continents and hemispheres? Now that the 2024 vintage has arrived, I’m happy to report that it is indeed a singular and expressive wine of place – and perhaps the best rosé in Australia. Made from dry-farmed, bush vine Mourvedre, co-fermented with small amounts of Vermentino and Cinsault, all from the Swinney Estate, this wine has an incredible aromatic profile. Far from being a simple summer quaffer, the 2024 Swinney Rosé is a seriously complex style of bone-dry rosé loaded with fresh strawberry and watermelon rind notes, as well as more savory wild thyme and oregano. Pale salmon color in the glass, the wine also has a slight phenolic grip on the palate – likely the result of the fermentation and maturation in old oak barrels – that make it the perfect rosé to have with a meal. This is simply a rosé that transcends most others, both in complexity and energy. With a vibrant, lingering finish, this is an ideal wine to pair with chilled shellfish, soft cheeses or even duck confit, as well as good company and conversation.

Really soft and pretty nose, with a little bit of red raspberry, some very light strawberry, and a little bit of some white flowers. There's a little bit of something savory, some light dried herbs and a little bit of lemon zest. The palate is really nice and incredibly dry with a little bit of a pithy bitterness that's going to make this absolutely sing with foods. The fruit is light and ethereal, more raspberry and strawberry along with just a little spritz of lemon over the top, and a little bit more of those dried herbs from the nose. This is something I want to sit down and have a bottle or two while outside and having some sort of barbecue adjacent meal, maybe some chicken and grilled vegetables.