Mullineux Granite Chenin Blanc 2018

Mullineux Granite Chenin is a new addition to our ever growing South African collection, and what a wine it is. I think it came home and was opened within hours of it being delivered to the shop. We are big fans of the Chenin Blanc grape, it can be light and crisp, rich and luscious, bone dry and sweet and tangy. It is versatile wine which can be easily paired with food.

We haven't had one quite as intense as the Granite, for a long time. It's very aromatic, medium bodied, it has concentrated honeyed fruit flavours with lazer like acidity running through it, it is supremely morish. Chris and Andrea Mullineux made wine around the world before settling in Swartland, 60 kms outside of Cape Town.

They were voted winery of the year in 202 in John Platter's Guide, and this wasn't the first time they have won this award. The Granite comes from a range of wines made to highlight the influence of the soil in each particular vineyard, there is also a Schist and a Quartz Chenin Blanc.

This wine is made from two small parcels of 40 year old sustainably farmed vines. The decomposed granite soil creates good acidity in the grapes and a stoney aroma, which is combined with citrus notes.

The wine is fermented with indigenous yeast, it has minimal sulphur, and is aged in old oak for 11 months. This is a very rewarding, classy wine, we are going to have to buy some more!

Chris and Andrea Mullineux have travelled to some of the most iconic wine regions in the world to work and learn from the best, after this they chose to settle down in South Africa. In 2007 the Mullineux estate was established 60km north of Cape town in the region of the Swartland, they chose this area due to the soils. This has led to a single vineyard series of wines that are based around each of the soil types, they believe these create a true expression of the terroir.