- 100% Syrah
- Grown on the Schisty slopes of Kasteelberg or ‘Castle Mountain’ on the Mullineux’s farm, Roundstone
- These rocky soils limit vine size and so the clusters and individual grapes in turn remain smaller with high skin-to-juice ratio, offering denser, more brooding tannins
- Hand-harvested in February during a cool morning
- 100% whole bunches were immediately foot-crushed into 500L barrels
- Fermented with indigenous yeast and only hand plunging was performed for completely gentle extraction – just enough to keep the cap wet
- After 4 weeks, it was racked and pressed back to the same open top barrels to complete tannin development and allowed its dark perfume to flourish
- Aged for 12 months in 50% new and 50% 4th fill 500L French oak and then another 10 months in 2000L Foudre before being bottled unfiltered
Info
Producer:
Vintage:
2024
Country:
South Africa
Region:
Swartland
Appellation:
Swartland
Variety:
Syrah
Color:
Red
Farming Practice:
Sustainable
Sizes Available
| Full Bottle | ZA-MUL-22-24 | 6/750ml |
Resources
REVIEWS FROM PAST VINTAGES
2022
James Suckling
Score
95
Date
2024-11-25
"The meatiest and most concentrated of the three single-vineyard syrahs, this has notes of bacon fat, peppercorns, black olives and brambleberries. It's medium- to full-bodied, broad and firm, with fine and chewy tannins. Still tightly wound. From a vineyard planted in 1988. 100% crushed whole-cluster fermentation. Try from 2026."
2022
Vinous
Score
95
Date
2024-09-19
"The 2022 Syrah Schist comes from shallower soils than the Iron with smaller canopies and clusters. It was crushed whole-cluster like the other single vineyards but yielded a higher skin-to-juice ratio as the berries are smaller and the skins thicker. This has a lifted, more fruit-driven bouquet with raspberry, briar, white pepper and a touch of gravel. Smooth and poised, the palate is very harmonious on the entry and perhaps more nuanced and complex than the Iron and Granite cuvees toward the finish. It leaves a dusting of cracked black pepper on the aftertaste. Very persistent in the mouth, this is outstanding."
2022
Wine Advocate
Score
95+
Date
2025-06-05
"Farmed with regenerative organic methods, this is the vineyard closest to the Mullineux winery. The 2022 Swartland Schist Syrah has a pinch of tannins followed by herbal notes of grilled rosemary and oregano. At its core, the wine shows damson plum, blackberry and red peppercorns. Fruit is physically smaller in the Schist vineyard, resulting in extra concentration and richness. Despite that richer fruit profile, this Syrah reveals impressive balance and staying power. It is the most powerful of the three Syrahs presented in this series, and it could be the wine with the most interesting aging trajectory."
2021
Decanter
Score
95
Date
2024-12-25
"The most compact and tannic of the Mullineux trio, with the smallest berries of them all, Schist is a powerful Syrah. There™s depth and a savoury minerality to this wine, with notes of ash and graphite pencil shavings, framed by white pepper and lavender. It is a powerhouse of tannin, but they are fine and well built. A profound Syrah, sizzling with tension."
2021
James Suckling
Score
95
Date
2023-10-23
2021
Vinous
Score
95
Date
2023-11-02
2021
Wine Advocate
Score
95
Date
2023-12-29
Tim Atkin, MW
Score
98
Date
2023-01-01
Wine and Spirits
Score
96
Date
2019-02-01
Platter's
Score
95
Date
2023-01-01
Wine Advocate
Score
95
Date
2022-06-09
James Suckling
Score
95
Date
2022-12-22
"#61 Top 100 Wines of South Africa; Aromas of plums, tobacco leaf, tar and grilled rosemary. Full-bodied with lovely density. Fine-grained tannins are coated in red and blue fruit, giving structure and focus to the savory and brooding palate. Wonderfully composed. Expressive and deep while remaining focused. Best after 2024."
Wine Spectator
Score
94
Date
Vinous
Score
94
Date
2022-09-29
Wine Advocate
Score
94+
Date
2022-12-30
"The 2019 Schist Syrah is floral and juicy with fantastic depth and finesse. Aromas of red plum and dusty raspberry sway with polish and purity before revealing seductive floral tones of rose and lavender in the glass. Medium to full-bodied, the wine is instantly impressive on the palate with supple tannins; it is both broad-shouldered and balanced and glides to a seductively long finish. Only 2,700 bottles were filled after the wine rested for a year in 50% new French oak."
Vinous
Score
93
Date
2020-11-01
Wine Spectator
Score
93
Date
2023-02-15
Wine Advocate
Score
93
Date
2019-10-31
Wine Advocate
Score
93+
Date
2022-12-30
"Marked with the same fresh crunchy red fruit as the rest of the range, the 2020 Schist Syrah pops with a dusty floral grip and hints of red spice and potpourri. Medium to full-bodied, the mouthfeel displays a delightful and food-friendly mineral tension before focused tannins grip the gumline. The wine persists on the palate, revealing breadth and depth with focus and harmony before lingering with a tannic edge. Give it one more year in the bottle, and drink it over the next 15 to 18 years."
Vinous
Score
92
Date
2021-11-30