Another nice mention on our wines over the weekend, this time by Jancis Robinson as one of her sugestions for Summer drinking in the Northern Hemisphere, in the Financial Times. Here’s her comment:

Mullineux White 2008 Swartland

Super-talented new operation in South Africa makes the most of old bushvines in a recently revived region. Very complex blend for the money. Should age well.

FT Weekend - Food and Wine

This is interesting reading as tasting the wine recently we feel the 2008 White is possibly reaching a phase where it is settling down and tightening up, and does indeed look like it will age well. If you try a bottle we suggest decanting it, or drinking over a couple of days.

It also gives food for thought on our 2009 White which we are in the process of releasing. The ‘09 vintage of the wine only completed 50% of its malolactic fermentation, and as a result of the higher malic acid content tastes fresher and tighter, and almost more alive. It’s interesting to taste the two wines next to each other.

And, in a third related note, we had a bottle of 2008 Voignier de Rosine from Stephane Ogier over the weekend. Stephane was one of the speakers at this years Hospice du Rhone, and this was the first wine he presented in his seminar. If I remember correctly (we were a bit cloudy after the Margharitas he was buying us the night before…),  he prefers not to allow his Viognier to go through malo, and this wine certainly benifits from the increased freshness. Maybe this is something we producers in the Swartland should look at…?

2008 White, Financial Times, Hospice du Rhone, Jancis Robinson, Malolactic fermentation, Stephane Ogier, Viognier