2015 Mullineux Granite Chenin Blanc Swartland Mullineux Wine

Generous but fresh with minerals, spices, citrus and ripe apple. Fresh and detailed with lovely concentration and intensity, yet it retains its freshness and purity. Very fine.

Even better than last year's maiden release, this comes from two sites in the Swartland and is fermented in larger, neutral oak. It's a deliciously poised expression of Chenin with steely acidity, stony minerality and flavours of quince, apple and baking spices. Brilliant winemaking. Drink: 2016-22.

The 2015 Granite Chenin Blanc has a lovely bouquet: nectarine, yellow flowers, pink grapefruit and a touch of beeswax. This has much more delineation and energy compared to the 2015 White Blend. The palate is fresh and vibrant on the entry with crisp acidity, slightly waxy in texture with hints of brioche, litchi nuts, smoke and nutmeg, fanning out with a sense of confidence towards the finish. This is a sterling follow-up to the 2014 Granite Chenin Blanc, though I would be inclined to age it a couple of years in bottle.

Bright straw-yellow. Smoky, flinty, oyster-shell minerality, menthol, and a touch of reduction dominate the nose, with the fruit in the deep background today. Plump but vibrant and classically dry; a more concentrated, mineral-driven wine than the Kloof Street Chenin Blanc, with a slightly exotic cast to its quince and orange blossom flavors. There's a savory, higher-pH quality here without any sloppiness or loss of focus. Still an infant, this wine should reveal more layers with another year or two in the bottle. Firm, subtle, slowly mounting finish.

Naturen er nogle gange forvirrende, smukt indviklet og modgår numerisk fakta. Chris Mullineux' vin kommer fra de åbne vidder under lyseblå sugende himmel ved Paardeberg, men her er tørt og varmt og vindigt. Alligevel er den frisk, fyrig og ferm. Hans Granite er selvsagt fra forvitret granitjord, hvor stokkene er 42 år i gennemsnit. Syren er forbavsende markant i en vin, der kun har fået mikro dosage med sulfit og har ligget på tre og fire år gamle træfade. Grapenæse, fuld af tørre sten og koncentreret af saunaovn og blå himmel med højtliggende bølgedis - sådan KAN der kun se ud i Swartland. Tygbar og viskøs, fuldstændig antiaromatisk, men strukurelt næsten som en lille rød bourgogne. Der er pikant bitterhed i eftersmagen, som dvæææææler.