2022 Mullineux Syrah
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Tasting notes
The Mullineux 2022 Swartland Syrah comes from a site with quartz formations over schist soils. Quartz tends to erode at a different pace, leaving quartz stones on the surface that reflect light but do not reflect heat. This leads to optimal ripening, with soft cherry and blackberry flavors followed by lightly toasted spice. There is a ferrous note to the wine followed by fine, satiny tannins that have a certain lusciousness about them. The wine sees 80% whole-cluster fruit and is fermented in upright wooden vats. Andrea Mullineux says she is looking for the silky tannins that are specific to the Swartland. "Those tannins are a real fingerprint of the region," she says.
Critic scores
Average Score
Neal Martin
Monica Larner, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
The 2022 Syrah is a combination of fruit from the three main soil types. It fermented with 80% whole cluster in upright 5,000-liter wooden vats, with the destemmed fruit at the top to get the fermentation going. It has a crisp and precise bouquet with brambly red fruit, a dash of white pepper and Provençal herbs. Quite powerful, the palate is medium-bodied with a slightly viscous texture. That white pepper note thrusts forward through the robust, austere finish. This is a gutsy Syrah that will probably benefit from a year 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.