2012 Mullineux Syrah
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Tasting notes
(100% Syrah; represents a blend of nine vineyards, five on schist, three on granite and one on iron; vinified with 60% whole clusters): Bright red-ruby. Perfumed nose offers scents of sour cherry, clove, dried herbs, white pepper, flowers, rust and meat. An attractive but very young midweight Syrah in a rather southern Rhône style, with silky but youthfully tight flavors of cherry, cranberry, graphite and wintergreen. Finishes persistent and firm but with very fine-grained tannins. Lay this one down for a few years. As much as I like the soil-designated Syrahs from this superb producer, this blend can be outstanding too.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
30-35% whole bunch. Seven different parcels from different soil types. They always make up this wine first – before the soil-type bottlings. About 1,800 cases. Dark crimson. Very appetising and racy on the nose. Light and savoury. Some leather and even slightly lean. Clean and dry. Very fresh but not mean. (JR)
The 2012 Mullineux Syrah comes from nine different vineyards that includes a couple of new parcels, 60% whole-bunch fermented, matured in 500-liter barrels of which 15% to 20% is new. It has a well-defined bouquet with dark berry fruit, blackcurrant, white pepper and a touch of cloves. The palate is structured with crisp acidity, vibrant blackberry and mulberry fruit with a stony, quite reserved finish that has a chalky texture. Very fine.
Muted, lively, very fine and subtle. Long and beautifully balanced. Imagine a blend of double cream and tarte tatin juice that wasn’t sickly... Something very special rather than something to sip without food. I could easily imagine it with rich shellfish. (JR)
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.