USA Online Fulfillment Center
Mullineux Straw Wine 2020
$49.99
About this wine
Introducing the Mullineux Straw Wine 2020, an exquisite dessert wine from South Africa’s esteemed winemaking tradition. This golden nectar is crafted from carefully selected Chenin Blanc grapes, naturally dried in the warm African sun. The 2020 vintage stands out, with the sun-drenched season providing ideal conditions for concentrating the grapes’ natural sugars and flavors.
Renowned for its meticulous winemaking, Mullineux has perfected the art of straw wine, offering a luxurious expression that is both a testament to the quality of the vintage and a reflection of the region’s rich winemaking heritage. The Mullineux Straw Wine is not merely a dessert wine; it’s an experience of indulgence and sophistication.
Technical Notes
- Grape Variety: 100% Chenin Blanc.
- Production Method: The grapes are carefully handpicked and then placed on straw mats to dry in the open air—a traditional method known as “straw wine” production. This natural desiccation concentrates the sugars and acids in the grapes.
- Vineyard Location: Sourced from select vineyards in the Swartland region, characterized by their dryland farming which produces intensely flavored fruit.
- Harvesting: The grapes are harvested at normal ripeness levels to ensure a balance between sugar and acidity before being left to dry.
- Fermentation: The dried grapes are pressed and the concentrated juice is fermented in old French oak barrels, stainless steel tanks, and ceramic vessels to add complexity.
- Aging: After fermentation, the wine is aged in the same vessels on the lees for added texture and complexity.
- Alcohol Content: Despite its sweetness, the alcohol content remains moderate, typically around 10-12%.
- Residual Sugar: High residual sugar content, which is balanced by the natural acidity of the Chenin Blanc to create a wine that is rich yet refreshing.
- Tasting Profile: A rich amber-colored wine with intense aromas of dried apricots, honey, and candied citrus peel. The palate offers concentrated flavors of stone fruits, marmalade, and vanilla, with a lively acidity that cleanses the palate and provides a counterpoint to the sweetness. The finish is prolonged and sumptuous.
- Bottling: Bottled with minimal intervention to preserve the unique characteristics developed during the drying and fermentation process.
Tasting Notes
We are a small, highly focused Family winery based in the village of Riebeek Kasteel producing a select Family of hand-crafted wines from the granite and shale based terroirs of the Swartland Region of South Africa.
The Swartland is a beautiful and wild place. The landscape is a series of rolling hills, with a few significant outcrops of rock that form the Paardeberg, Riebeek Kasteel and Piketberg Mountains. It is not an easy place to establish vines, and is a region that has as much of an influence on the vineyards and people who farm there as the people have on the land itself. This brings to mind what film director David von Ancken has to say about the old American West: “The primal, universal power of the landscape strips away everything but the truth of men’s souls.” In much the same way, we feel the Swartland landscape bares the souls of grape vines, and in those varieties that can take the ruggedness, true personality of site is revealed.
Watch this beautifully viscous gold wine reflect the light as you swirl your glass. This fleshy yet focused sweet wine evokes notes of Cape gooseberry-compote and dried apricots, with enticing marmalade, marzipan and honey aromas. The complex layers of the intense mouth feel are balanced by a Granitic freshness reminiscent of wines grown in these ancient soils. Best served chilled.
