Winemaker Notes
The Mullineux Syrah has become synonymous with its hallmark Swartland perfume of plush blackberries, violets and black olive tapenade. The palate is rich and elegant with velvety tannins, complex red fruits and warm spicy notes on the finish.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
I like the deep blue and black berry fruit here, with lavender and clove spice. Chocolate, too. Medium-bodied, focused and textural, with a solid tannin structure. Focused and well-balanced finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Dark-fruited and stemmy on the nose, the 2021 Syrah displays meaty and savory notes with dark cherry and black raspberry before aromas of potpourri with pink peppercorn sway from the glass. Medium to full-bodied, this Syrah is fresh and precise and offers seductive flavors of sausage and cranberry compote before dusty flowers and fine-grained tannins appear over the food-friendly finish. Enjoy with food.
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Vinous
The 2021 Syrah comes from a cool season with good water reserves that were crucial during the long harvest, designed to represent soil types in the Swartland. This vintage is 90% pressed whole cluster, raised in 500-liter barrels and then larger vessels. There’s blackberry and blueberry fruit, white pepper and light potpourri scents on the nose, opening nicely in the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with fine, grippy tannins framing the compact black fruit mixed with graphite and white pepper. Powdery in texture towards the finish, there is real backbone here and impressive persistence.
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.