2024 Mullineux Iron Chenin Blanc
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Tasting notes
The richest of the trio of wines made with this grape, the Mullineux 2024 Swartland Iron Chenin Blanc shows ripe peach, yellow apple and stone fruit wrapped around a dense, mouth-coating mid-palate. Chenin Blanc, often marked by quince and wooly tones, takes on a more powerful profile from the iron-rich soils that retain moisture and promote even canopy growth. "These soils hold onto water, making the berries more concentrated," vintner Andrea Mullineux tells me. The ancient oxidized soils of the Swartland give the wine its signature breadth and extract that is almost like a red wine.
Critic scores
Average Score
Neal Martin
Monica Larner, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
The 2024 Chenin Blanc Iron comes from the Rondomskrik Vineyard, which actually means "scared from all around," referring to the fact that winds come from all directions. This has a slightly more introverted bouquet that needs a little more coaxing, slightly more earthy, with a hint of wet clay/potters' wheel in the background. The palate is very well balanced with a saline entry, very focused, with a little more mineralité and tension compared to the Granite. Superb.
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.