Cyndal Petty, Wine Pilot
I’m arriving at the conclusion, after years of drinking Frankland Estate Riesling, that they simply can’t make a bad wine. Maybe it’s Brian Kent. Maybe it’s the holistic viticulture. Maybe it’s the family lineage. Whatever the reason, the 2025 Isolation Ridge only strengthens the argument. A powerful base note of candied cumquat, pickled radish and lime sherbet sits at the core. Everything feels ripe, sticky and pure. There’s a notable musk-stick floral character here too, dialled up more than in previous vintages. In the mouth, the fruit is always front of mind, but the grabby phenolics are equally enticing, locking in the resolved acid and allowing it to operate at maximum volume without overpowering. An iconic and singular wine. Drink as is. 96 points
Jane Faulkner, Halliday Wine Companion
You’d call this pristine. Beautiful, too. It’s everything you want in a riesling from this top producer, with fruit off its organically managed, exceptional vineyard. Delicate aromas of lemon blossom, quince and ginger flower with a more complex oyster shell character. Pure flavours of citrus, glacé lemon and a touch of phenolics and silky creaminess all cruising along the palate. There’s balance between texture and the vibrancy of superfine acidity. A slip of sweetness rounds out this superb wine. 97 points
Shanteh Wale, Wine Pilot
From the famed single vineyard planted in 1988 and certified organic vines. Always one of the most intensely perfumed rieslings of this country. This aches with whole lemons, skin, flesh and pulp. Papaya and green melon, frangipani flowers and coconut oils. Ginger and honeysuckle are magnified on the palate with powerful flavour richness. The wine is fairly dry, with fruit sweetness acting in harmony with some grapefruit pithy texture and long drawn out coils of acidity. A wine with slate and wet stone purity and dazzling succulence. This is a jubilant vintage and will live for decades. If drinking now, try this with fluffy ricotta pancakes for the best start to a lazy Sunday morning. 96 points
Jeni Port, Wine Pilot
Concentration-plus! Organically grown Isolation Ridge vineyard in the super cool Great Southern consistently produces one of the more concentrated and intense Rieslings in the country. The ’25 offers another superlative example. Super bright and zesty, it reveals hidden depths which excite now but, boy, in the future they will only intensify. Citrus blossom, lime zest, lime cordial, lemon with hints of curry leaf, lemongrass and sweet-smelling herbal aromas. Arrives zesty, zippy and dry with lime to the forefront. Lime and citrus carry forward with wildflower florals, wild herbs, a pinch of curry leaf and ginger – an exotic note - growing deeper and gathering weight and intensity as it closes. And the acidity, the wine’s secret weapon, is mouth-wateringly juicy fresh. Superb. 96 points
Ray Jordan, Wine Pilot
Consistently one of the finest rieslings produced in Western Australia. This one is from a year that created wines of some delicacy and restraint, and yet this one delivers on that base but with deep intensity. The nose shows a distinctive minerality with faint hints of lemon rind. The palate is delightfully presented with fine fruit flavours supported by a racy acidity and that underlying minerality which stamps the regionality. A thoroughly appealing expression of Frankland River riesling. 95 points
Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front
Much of this wine feels reserved but it goes up a gear through the back palate and through the finish, and that really is the best of signs. This is excellent. It’s all apple, lime and slate, it feels fresh and classy at once, though the summarising word is that it feels classical. It’s not an overt wine but it is an absolute beauty. 95 points
Gary Walsh, The Wine Front
Lime, crisp green apple, a vanilla/white flower perfume, slight aniseed, spice, and a general chalky/stony thing happening. It’s tight, but flavoursome, a powdery grip to texture, a sizzle of green apple acidity through lime rind and white nectarine, tight and zesty on a finish of outstanding length, a little apple skin and citrus peel cinch to close. Such crunch and energy. Very good. 95 points
Angus Hughson, Wine Pilot
The 2025 Riesling Isolation Ridge is youthful and well composed offering up tight and focused aromas of fresh pear, apple and citrus aromas with a waxy edge. There is an effortless balance between vibrant acidity and textural, pithy flavour that is well sustained with generous length. A little shy right now but sure to build handsomely in bottle. 94 points
