2018 Mullineux Granite Syrah
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Tasting notes
Starting with aromas of blackberry and black pepper and hints of smoke, the 2018 Granite Syrah offers classic and rocky notions of well-made Syrah. Medium-bodied, savory and elegant, the palate offers flavors of dusty black cherry, smoked plum and wild brush before fine-grained tannins lift the mid-palate. The wine glides to a fine, firm finish with a compact, tannic edge. Enjoy it with food.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Neal Martin
More reviews and scores
Full bottle 1,333g. Thick wax seal. Just 424 cases made. Unfiltered and more than twice the price of the 2017 Syrah with no soil type designated. Pale to mid garnet. Sweet start and more concentrated than the regular 2017 Syrah bottling with more obvious tannin but, at this stage, still quite youthful with the firmness of granite. This special bottling seems like an interesting, more 'serious' intellectual exercise but I'm not sure I could recommend buying it at more than twice the price of the 2017 Syrah. Though it will surely reveal itself in time and last a lot longer than the 2017... Added two days later: yes, the wine does indeed reveal itself as a thoroughbred. (JR)
The 2018 Syrah Granite was matured for 12 months in French oak plus nine months in second-fill foudre . The well-defined nose features blackberry, raspberry and touches of white pepper, all focused and becoming quite floral with time. The palate is medium-bodied with good grip on the entry and quite compact. Tarry black fruit mingles with sage and black pepper toward quite a stern finish. Fine, but it will require 2–3 years in bottle.
About the producer
Chris and Andrea Mullineux were at the forefront of South Africa’s new-wave movement and are now one of the country’s most established names. Alongside the Swartland project that made their name, they make wines in Franschhoek under the Leeu Passant name – a tribute to South Africa’s vinous past.