Mullineux Old Vines White 2022
Mullineux Family Wines · Mullineux & Leeu Family Wines
A masterclass in patient winemaking from the Swartland — restrained on release, but already telegraphing the gravitas of a wine built for the cellar.
Nose
Yellow orchard fruit, beeswax, dried fennel, and a saline thread of crushed granite, lifted by chamomile and lemon pith.
Palate
Textured and deeply mineral, with quince, ripe pear, lanolin, and preserved lemon coiled around a savory schist-driven core; old-vine concentration shows in its quiet density rather than flamboyance.
Finish
Long, dry, and stony, leaving impressions of white tea, salted almond, and dried herbs.
- Varietal
- Chenin Blanc
- Blend
- Chenin Blanc (approx. 73%), Clairette Blanche, Semillon Gris, Semillon Blanc, Viognier, Verdelho
- Vineyards
- Old bush-vine parcels (average vine age 35–45+ years) across the Swartland's Paardeberg, Riebeek and Kasteelberg sites, planted on decomposed granite, schist and iron-rich koffieklip soils.
- Alcohol
- 13%
- Organic / Biodynamic
- No
- Skin Contact
- No
Cocktail Suggestion
The Schist Spritz — 3 oz Mullineux Old Vines White, 1 oz dry vermouth, 0.5 oz elderflower liqueur, top with chilled tonic; serve over ice in a large wine glass with a lemon peel and a sprig of fennel.
Food Pairing
Roasted Cape Malay chicken with preserved lemon and almond couscous, or aged Comté.
Founded in 2007 by Chris and Andrea Mullineux in the rugged Swartland, the estate champions dry-farmed, bush-vine parcels — many over 40 years old — coaxing a regional identity out of granite, schist, and iron-rich shale.
Be the first to comment.
Leave a comment
Dry Creek Chenin Blanc
Dry Creek Vineyard
Dry Creek Vineyard has championed Chenin Blanc in California for decades, and this bottling is a quiet testament to why the grape deserves more attention. It delivers warmth and generosity without excess—an approachable, food-friendly white that offers far more complexity than its modest price suggests. A wine that communicates comfort before you even find the words.
Chablis, Louis Michel
Louis Michel & Fils
Louis Michel & Fils is one of Chablis' great purists, eschewing oak entirely in favor of stainless steel to let the limestone terroir shine with absolute transparency. This is clarity through constraint made liquid—proof that restraint in winemaking yields the most eloquent expression of place. A benchmark village Chablis that punches well above its price.
Famille Hugel Gewürztraminer Alsace 2022
Famille Hugel
Hugel's estate-level Gewürztraminer is an ideal entry into the grape — aromatic and expressive without tipping into heaviness. The 2022 vintage shows purity of fruit and the benefit of Alsace's continental climate, where warm days and cool nights preserve acidity in a variety that can lose it. This is the bottle to pair with spiced cuisine or to enjoy on its own as an education in aromatics.
Domaine Bott-Geyl Riesling Grand Cru Mandelberg 2022
Domaine Bott-Geyl
Bott-Geyl's biodynamic approach to the Mandelberg vineyard yields a Riesling of remarkable purity. This is a wine that tastes like its origin — limestone, sun, and the careful hand of a grower who trusts the vine to speak for itself. Grand Cru Alsace at a price that remains approachable.