Winemaker Notes
This is the most structured Syrah in our Single Terroir range. On the nose there are notes of black pepper, black fruit and spices. The palate is full-bodied with a meaty, savoury character, plenty silky tannins giving structure and a balancing natural acidity. The finish is fresh, long and supple.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Awe-inspiring stuff, the 2018 Schist Syrah begins with a compact frame and intoxicating floral expression with a dark red-fruited nature and complex rocky tones under gorgeous aromas of violets and white pepper. Medium-bodied, the palate is impeccably balanced, offering juicy acidity and fine-grained tannins that will undoubtedly integrate over time to be completely seamless. This delicious Syrah concludes with fantastic highlights of crunchy red fruit and game hints and is my top vote for Mullineux's soil-series Syrah this year. Bravo! I find myself pausing and smelling the wine in the glass rather than drinking it, which is a sign of world-class wine to me.
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Wine & Spirits
Chris and Andrea Mullineux grow this wine in the shale-and-schist soils of their Roundstone farm, where drought conditions in 2018 resulted in low yields. They find that the wines from this site are defined by their structure and density. In fact, at our tasting, the tannins felt colossal, the aromas initially dominated by a vegetal-herbal note (the wine is made with whole bunches). Then, it begins to show tart fruit and fresh syrah florals, the details continuing to emerge with days of air, the flavors built on a dark plum base with accents of pomegranate and sour cherry. After four days, the stem tannins make the wine silky-smooth, over notes of dark chocolate.
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
Literally meaning "the black land," Swartland takes its name from the endangered, indigenous "renosterbos" (translating to rhino bush), which used to be plentiful enough to turn the entire landscape a dark color certain during times of year. The district, attracting some of the most adventurous and least interventionist winemakers, excels in robust and full-bodied reds as well as quality fortified wines.