2015 Mullineux Family Wines Syrah
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Tasting notes
Grapes chilled, then 50% is destemmed to tank and the remainder added as whole bunches. Minimal SO 2 added, with no further additions. Pigeage once daily for about 4 days, then fermentation with ambient yeasts. Temperatures are kept below 28 °C. Fermentation lasts 7–10 days, then 3–7 weeks of maceration. The wine is then pressed to barrel for malolactic fermentation and maturation. Each parcel is racked in spring to blend the wine, which is then returned to barrel and aged for 14 months in 225-, 500- and 2,000-litre French oak barrels, 15% new. Natural cork. Tasted blind. Light, high-toned nose. Pretty, and already the winemaker was taking their foot off the pedal! Fresh and very 21st century. (JR)
Critic scores
Richard Hemming MW, jancisrobinson.com
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
The 2015 Syrah has a more opulent and glossy bouquet compared to its peers with precocious black cherries and cassis fruit, pure in style though maybe just missing the same degree of terroir expression. Yet with aeration, it develops more nuance, gains complexity and mineralité. The palate is medium-bodied with black pepper and sage, very Cornas-like, structured with a drier, "serious" finish that may repay continued bottle age. I am intrigued to see how this will develop in bottle - it shows marked improvement in the glass. This shows remarkably better than previous bottles - one of the standouts of this blind tasting. Tasted blind at the 10-Year-On horizontal in London.
Matured for 11 months in 10% new oak, the 2015 Syrah has a perfumed, slightly menthol bouquet that is nicely defined and offers ample red berry fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannin and plenty of cranberry and pomegranate notes laced with white pepper and a touch of undergrowth, although I feel that the 2016 has a little more precision on the finish.
Seven different vineyards on granite, schist and iron – some bush vines and some trellised. Different soils give different blending components. Represents the vintage but must still be a balanced Swartland Syrah – the tannins are what makes it Swartland, says Andrea Mullineux. 100% whole bunch, acting as ‘a magnifier of the terroir’. Smoky and dark-fruited with a dark, rocky freshness more akin to northern Rhône than anywhere else. Lightly peppery and with wonderful finesse in the texture. Such fine grain and elegance even with the fruit of a sunny climate. There’s ripeness but also mouth-watering freshness in a dark elegant framework. Fresh tannins add to the coolness though you can still taste the sunshine. (JH)
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.