Wine & Spirits - Winter 2019 - 83

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Top 100 Wineries

ANDREA & CHRIS
MULLINEUX

Mullineux
SOUTH AFRICA | SWARTLAND
Focusing on Mediterranean grape varieties grown in
Swartland's ancient shale and schist soils, Chris and
Andrea Mullineux turn out wines that redefine the
possibilities of the Western Cape.

2007
Chris &
Andrea Mullineux,
Analjit Singh,
Peter Dart
FOUNDED:
OWNERS:

WINEMAKER:

Andrea Mullineux
VITICULTURIST:

Chris Mullineux
ACRES OWNED:

52
CASES PRODUCED:

20,000
ESTATE GROWN:

50%
IMPORTER:

Skurnik Wines &
Spirits, NY

THERE WEREN'T MANY OTHER wineries around Riebeek-Kasteel
in 2007, when Chris Mullineux and his new wife, winemaker
Andrea Mullineux, settled there. Most of the action was in
Stellenbosch, but Swartland's warm, dry climate appealed
to them, as did its abundance of schist and slate soils and
forgotten old vines. Pulling on their experience working in
France's Rhône Valley, they focused on syrah, working with
star South African viticulturist Rosa Kruger to identify the
most promising plots. The couple have since moved their
base to Roundstone Farm, a lush landscape of meadowlands
and vineyards on the southwestern slope of Kasteelberg,
where they have long sourced most of their fruit. They follow what they call a "reasoned" approach in the vineyard,
avoiding synthetic herbicides and insecticides, and relying
on homemade mulch, compost and their free-ranging Nguni
cattle for weed control and soil enrichments. Their approach
in the winery is similarly sustainably-minded, with a complete avoidance of any additives beyond a small amount of
sulfur. The Mullineux's basic Swartland Syrah-a blend of
seven parcels on different soils-was a standout in the 2017
vintage (especially at $38). Even more exciting were the

single-parcel bottlings that contrast schist and granite
soils-both restrained and elegant, but with personalities that spoke of Swartland's diverse terroir. They also
celebrate old-vine chenin blanc, a local treasure, in soildriven cuvées as well as an insanely sweet dried-grape
wine that blew our socks off. -R.D.T.
2017 Swartland Straw Wine ($45, 97 points) This is an
unusual wine, made from chenin blanc picked at normal ripeness levels (22º Brix in 2017) and then dried outdoors on
straw mats until the grapes are halfway to raisins. What little
juice Andrea Mullineux extracts from the fruit, she puts into
barrels and allows to ferment for as long as it needs; in the process, she tops up some barrels and leaves others to oxidize.
The 2017, bottled at 308 grams per liter of sugar, feels like velvet, each sip delivering a tidal wave of flavor-grilled apricot,
fresh pineapple, honey and hay-and yet it feels weightless,
with a structure that promises the wine a long life in the cellar.
2016 Swartland Schist Syrah ($123, 96 points) This is one
of three syrahs in Mullineux's Single Terroir series, each showcasing the variety grown on different soils. This one comes off
17-year-old vines growing in shale and schist on the Roundstone Farm. Foot-stomped and fermented in open-top barrels,
the 2016 sings with pure syrah flavor, notes of blackberries
and black cherry, black pepper and freshly chopped herbs all
held tight by fine-grit tannins.
2016 Swartland Granite Syrah ($123, 93 points) Sourced
from a parcel of 21-year-old dry-farmed bush vines in decomposed granite off the Paardeberg mountains, this undergoes the same treatment as the Schist Syrah, but it's more
restrained and slower to reveal its depths, with a broad, stony
texture and dark flavors that last.
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