2011 Mullineux Schist Syrah

The 2011 Schist Syrah comes from a parcel of 16-year-old vines growing on shale and schist soils in the Riebeek Kasteel Mountains and was cropped on 8 February. It is whole bunch pressed and sees 50 months in 500-liter French oak of which half are new. The bouquet exhibits a little more fruit than the Granite Syrah, plush and feminine with pure mineral-rich cranberry and raspberry fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannins. The fruit is very expressive with pixelated raspberry coulis, fresh strawberry and subtle mint notes. There is spellbinding focus here and you immediately want to return to the glass for another sip, and another. Outstanding. Drink now-2020. Having followed Chris and Andre Mullineux’s ascendency from their days working at Tulbagh Mountain Vineyard (see Fable), through their maiden vintage in 2008 to the present, there is something almost inevitable about their fairy tale story. It was just meant to be. Spearheading the Swartland revolution alongside Eben Sadie, Adi Badenhorst et al., their wines have raised the benchmark of what wine-lovers should expect from both Mullineux and Swartland itself. And that is not just good fortune, but rather hours and hours of hard work, with Chris out in the vineyards and Andrea in the winery. The fact that they still have to rent a winery in the town of Riebeek Kasteel makes it even more remarkable – this is no case of chucking wads of cash to ensure quality (which does not necessarily work anyway.) In essence, the challenges that they have faced seem to drive them forward, inevitably toward single vineyard bottlings that debuted with the 2010 Schist and Granite Syrahs, and hopefully toward their own winemaking facilities in the near future. Their Kloof Street white and red offer a wallet-friendly introduction to their wines, although I would not hesitate in spending a few more dollars on their White and Red Blend or if you can get your hands on one of the 99 cases produced, their Schist and Granite Syrahs. On this point, I asked Chris for some background on these wines “The winemaking is pretty similar, and for us the main difference is the soils, and specifically the moisture holding capacity of them. The schist soils are very rocky, shallow and steep, so any excess water tends to run off while the decomposed granite soils are much deeper, with a layer of clay about 2 meters below the surface that holds moisture. As a result the vines grown in the schist soils tend to struggle more and have more open canopies, smaller bunches and berries with thicker skins. The wines tend to be more dense and structured. Vines grown in Swartland’s decomposed granite have a slightly easier time as they have more moisture in the subsoil, so the canopies are larger with more shade and the bunches and berries are larger with thinner skins. The wines, therefore, tend to be more floral and perfumed (from the extra shade), and fresher.” I asked Chris whether there were any significant differences between the recent vintages. “There was not much to differentiate 2010 and 2011. Both were good vintages in the Swartland: relatively dry winters and cool summers without any major heat waves before we harvested. There were some heat waves after we harvested in 2011, and this compounded with the two preceding dry winters had more of an impact on vintages 2012 (very uneven ripeness) and 2013 (some vineyards with low acidities).” Mullineux epitomize elegant, terroir-driven, traditionally tailored wines that deliver nuanced scents and flavors while rarely treading over 13.5% alcohol. They do not shortchange wine-lovers on flavor, yet at the heart of their best blends there is an intellectual aspect that leaves you wanting more. If you have not discovered Mullineux yet – what are you waiting for? Importer: Berry Brothers & Rudd and SWIG (www.swig.co.uk) both in the UK.