95 points - "This vintage of Olmo’s Reward is all about the power and the poetry of Cabernet Franc (90%). Indeed, it is the highest proportion of Cab Franc in the wine’s history joined by small additions of Cabernet Sauvignon (8%) and Malbec (2%). Slow to reveal – feel free to decant or swish – and definitely consider time in the cellar, Olmo’s Reward is all about endless potential as well as drink-now appeal, in other words, a mighty handy wine. Undergrowth, sweet earth, black cherry and plum with a touch of pepper and herbs lift from the glass. This is a wine of old school class, of the earth, the sun and ripe fruit, all beautifully framed in some fancy fine tannin work. Nuff said . . ." - Jeni Port (Wine Pilot)

97 points - "A wine which honours the significant contribution of Dr Harold Olmo in the early stages of the new era of the WA wine industry. It’s a blend of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec. In this case it has the highest proportion of Cabernet Franc ever used in the blend. This wine has a beautiful lift of red fruit on the nose with leafy graphite nuances. Medium weight but with highly concentrated fruit, it rolls majestically across the palate with fine chalky tannins and perfectly tuned oak supporting through to a long finish." - Ray Jordan (Wine Pilot)

96 points - "Medium to deep ruby red colour. Blackberry, cured meat, dusty earth and pencil shaving aromatics. Medium to full weighted, seamless in its flow across the palate. Notes of red and black fruits sit in the core, but this is more about its layers of spice, cured meat and earthy pleasures. It glides with a regal sense of bearing, not showy or brash but demands your attention to its fine details. Phenomenal length and it carries that poise from entry to end. A superb expression of the blender's art." - Stuart Knox (The Real Review)

96 points - "The reward is watching this morph, over the years and now in the glass, into such a special wine, one led by cabernet franc, one that speaks of place and one that delights in its youth but will promise more complexity in time. Today, it’s all red fruited and infused with smoky, earthy flavours, turmeric and licorice with a distinct ferrous/ironstone character. It’s ripe, fuller bodied yet not heavy, with tangy acidity and textural tannins spreading across the palate leaving a lasting imprint and a desire for another glass." -
Jane Faulkner (Halliday Wine Companion)

TASTING NOTE
A complex and distinguished wine of its own kind. Lifted fresh black and red berries
interlaced with hints of cedar, fresh Italian herbs, brambles, cocoa, black baccara rose
petals, nougat, bell pepper; alluring mouth-watering aromas. The palate is soft and
luscious, and it bursts into blue fruits across the palate supported by mouthcoating
textural tannins that add structure and complexity. There are subtle nuances of bay leaf,
spice, liquorice, and savoury elements. Its beautifully layered and complex. Well balanced
acidity draws this complexity of flavours across the palate for a long, seamless finish of
poise and power.
2021 VINTAGE
The 2021 harvest will be remembered for the perfect spring conditions leading into the
ripening period. With the return to a “normal” picking date (starting on the 19th March for
whites), we harvested some excellent grapes and thankfully some generous cropping
levels after two very small vintages in 2019 and 2020.
VINEYARD
All varieties used in the blend were dry-grown on mature vines in the Isolation Ridge
Vineyard at Frankland Estate. The vineyard sits on an undulating northern and eastern
facing slope on ancient duplex soils of gravel and loam over a clay sub-soil. It is farmed
using organic viticultural practices (certified organic in 2009) and this is reflected in the
depth and concentration of fruit flavours. Cabernet Franc is the hero of this blend from
our 1988 plantings with supporting roles from some of our best vineyard parcels of other
red varieties.
VINIFICATION
Each variety was fermented separately as slowly as possible at temperatures not
exceeding 27°C. Open fermentation tanks facilitated working the cap with gentle plunging
taking care to minimise tannin extraction. After fermentation, an extended maceration
period allowed desired flavour and tannin resolution. The component wines were blended
on completion of the malolactic fermentation and then aged in 500L French Oak
puncheons for 15 months.
Cabernet Franc 90%, Cabernet Sauvignon 8%, Malbec 2%