2023 Mullineux Chenin Blanc Schist
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Tasting notes
With this wine, we return to a mineral profile that is not unlike the Granite Chenin Blanc. However, the Mullineux 2023 Swartland Schist Chenin Blanc is slightly more ample and layered in terms of mouthfeel. Water does not penetrate as deeply on schist soils as it does granite, and the fruit is a little richer and more concentrated as a result. Water tends to run off easily, and the plant root systems remain shallow and produce smaller clusters, a less vigorous canopy and berries with thick skins (with more sunlight reaching the clusters through the leaves). This wine starts off with an incredibly citrusy feel, and yet it also delivers cool-climate Chenin Blanc aromas of green apple and honeysuckle. This wine is built to last, and it's no wonder it was served last in our tasting of the three single-vineyard Chenin Blancs. I would bet on the longest drinking window for this bottle. Those complex fruit flavors still need to flesh out.
Critic scores
Average Score
Neal Martin
Monica Larner, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
The 2023 Chenin Blanc Schist comes from shallow brown slate soils that restrict the vine growth, yielding smaller clusters with thicker skins. It has a perfumed, slightly floral bouquet with yellow plum, jasmine and light stony aromas—my favorite of the three Chenins. The palate has exquisite balance. It’s quite feisty with an oily texture and very good depth. Much more phenolic than their other whites, it closes with a sustained finish. Great potential.
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.