2022 Mullineux Schist Syrah
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Tasting notes
Farmed with regenerative organic methods, this is the vineyard closest to the Mullineux winery. The 2022 Swartland Schist Syrah has a pinch of tannins followed by herbal notes of grilled rosemary and oregano. At its core, the wine shows damson plum, blackberry and red peppercorns. Fruit is physically smaller in the Schist vineyard, resulting in extra concentration and richness. Despite that richer fruit profile, this Syrah reveals impressive balance and staying power. It is the most powerful of the three Syrahs presented in this series, and it could be the wine with the most interesting aging trajectory.
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Neal Martin
Monica Larner, Wine Advocate
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The 2022 Syrah Schist comes from shallower soils than the Iron with smaller canopies and clusters. It was crushed whole-cluster like the other single vineyards but yielded a higher skin-to-juice ratio as the berries are smaller and the skins thicker. This has a lifted, more fruit-driven bouquet with raspberry, briar, white pepper and a touch of gravel. Smooth and poised, the palate is very harmonious on the entry and perhaps more nuanced and complex than the Iron and Granite cuvées toward the finish. It leaves a dusting of cracked black pepper on the aftertaste. Very persistent in the mouth, this is outstanding.
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.