Mullineux Old Vine White 2023

Mullineux Old Vine White

Mullineux Old Vine White is pale straw in colour, this wine has a nose of ripe, green citrus fruit and Christmas spices. The palate is fresh and richly textured, with notes of ripe pears, almonds and peaches, and a clove-like finish.

The Swartland is blessed with an abundance of old vine Chenin and they use this as the backbone of their white blend. They then add several small parcels of Mediterranean varieties for complexity, balance and aromatic lift. The grapes come from vineyard parcels in different parts of the Swartland: the stony Shale and Schist based soils of the Kasteelberg, the decomposed Granite of the Paardeberg and the rolling, iron-rich hills west of Malmesbury.

Fermentation is in barrel with indigenous yeasts and the wine is aged for 11 months in French oak barrels, 20% new.

Mullineux Family Wines was established in 2007, and was owned and managed by Chris and Andrea Mullineux, with business partners, Keith Prothero and Peter Dart. Within a very short time period the winery established itself as one of South Africa’s most celebrated wine brands, both locally and on the international front. By 2016 they had received seventeen 5 star ratings from Platter’s South African Wine Guide, as well as being awarded Red Wine of the Year in 2013 and 2016, and Winery of the Year in 2014 and 2016.

Analjit Singh’s love affair with South Africa started when he first visited the country with his daughter for the Soccer World Cup in 2010. On visiting the Franschhoek valley he felt “a deep sense of belonging, of energy, a sense of place” and subsequently purchased 3 adjacent farms which have been amalgamated within his Franschhoek hospitality portfolio Leeu Collection under the name Leeu Estates. The Afrikaans word leeu (meaning lion) is the Sanskrit derivation of Singh.

In 2013 Analjit joined forces with Chris and Andrea by purchasing Keith’s shares and the company was renamed Mullineux & Leeu Family Wines.

The Swartland is perfectly suited to natural methods of farming. Very low summer rainfall coupled with afternoon and evening breezes off the Atlantic Ocean result in low disease pressure. Vineyards are often planted in amongst the natural rhenoster veldt and fynbos, which provide refuge for predators of vineyard pests, and help reduce the spread of disease. Weeds struggle to establish themselves and spread, making it easier to control them without the need of herbicides.

Their absolute focus is on bottling wines that are a true expression of the Swartland.

To achieve this they follow a winemaking approach that is as natural as possible.They do not add any yeasts, acids, enzymes or other chemicals that may hide or disguise the character of their vineyards.

Mullineux Old Vine White - Hay Wines