Syrah 'SCHIST - Roundstone'

Score

96

"Enticing aromas of black olives, sage, black fruit, cracked pepper and Mediterranean herbs. It,s medium- to full-bodied, intensely savory and full of flavor, with medium-firm, fine-grained tannins. Compact. Best after 2026."

Score

94

"The 2023 Syrah Schist has a rockier, more flinty bouquet with cracked black pepper, hints of charcoal and sage that entwine beautifully with the black fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with sculpted tannins, exquisite balance and it comes across tightly coiled but brilliantly defined on the finish. Superb mineralitš and focus, this is outstanding Syrah that will age for 10 or 20 years."

Score

94

"The Mullineux 2023 Swartland Schist Syrah is savory and plush, with dark violet, grilled herbs and black fruit layered over a balanced, textural palate. The wine shows a more brooding, earthy expression from schist soils compared with the brighter granite version. The Swartland,s warm days and cooling maritime breezes help maintain both depth and composure. Mullineux's Iron Syrah was not made in this vintage because yields were severely diminished (by as much as 90% at this hilltop site) and remaining fruit was directed to the varietal bottling instead."

Score

95

"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."

Score

95

"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."

Score

95+

"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."

Score

95

"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."

Score

95

Score

95

Score

95

Score

98

Score

96

Score

95

Score

95

Score

95

"#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."

Score

94

Score

94

Score

94+

"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."

Score

93

Score

93

Score

93

Score

93+

"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."

Score

92