Newsletter
OCTOBER 2011
A Full House of Platter’s 5 Stars for Mullineux Family Wines !
The much anticipated list of 5 star wines in the upcoming 2012 Platter’s South African Wine Guide was announced at the Wines of South Africa Cape Wine Europe tasting in London today.
The Platter’s Guide is widely recognised as the most authoritative and comprehensive guide to the world of South African wine, and this year more than seven thousand wines were tasted. One hundred and thirty nine wines were nominated for the coveted five star rating, with only forty five wines being awarded this top honour.
We are proud to announce that this year all three of our signature wines received five star recognition by Platter‘s !
2010 Mullineux White
2009 Mullineux Syrah
2010 Mullineux Straw Wine
This Platter’s success continues a great year in reviews for us, as it follows the recent high praise from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate. This American based publication is an independent consumer’s guide to fine wine, and the ratings are widely regarded as the most influential in the world of wine. Our 2010 Mullineux White scored 91 points, our 2009 Mullineux Syrah 92 and our Mullineux Straw Wine 94 points.
We are grateful and humbled with the recognition our wines have received thus far. That such a small and new winery focused on elegance and refinement, should obtain 5 stars for all 3 of our signature wines is truly an amazing achievement. We adopt a minimalist approach to wine making and focus upon expression of the Swartland’s special terroir. This acknowledgement is not only great for us, but also for the entire Swartland region, a place we are passionate about.
We will be releasing a limited edition Mullineux branded wooden box containing the 3 Five Starr wines (for delivery in South Africa only).
Price (including VAT and Delivery):
Western Cape R750
Rest of South Africa R850
For enquiries contact Nicola at info@mullineuxwines.com
Our cellar and tasting room are situated in the charming village of Riebeek Kasteel, roughly 1 hour from Stellenbosch or Cape Town.
Opening Hours:
Saturday 10am to 3pm or otherwise by appointment.
Email: info@mullineuxwines.com
Telephone 27 (0) 22 4481183
Address: Short Street, Riebeek Kasteel,7307 (opposite the Royal Hotel in Main Road, Riebeek Kasteel)
Click Here to Order our Wines
Click Here for a List of Distributors in your Country
Click Here for a List of Stockists in South Africa and the UK
SPRING 2011:
GREAT NEWS IN THE WINE ADVOCATE!
We were proud this week to be included in Neal Martin’s first ever serious review of South African Wines for Robert Parker’s THE WINE ADVOCATE – essentially the most respected Wine Publication in the world. Our Mullineux range performed exceptionally well – all rating “Outstanding” as follows:
2010 White Blend 91/100 “exquisite… racy… a superb Chenin Blanc blend”
2009 Syrah 92/100 “classic in style, reserved but ambitious”
2010 Straw Wine 94/100 “a ravishing straw wine and completely irresistable”
Our value for money (Retailing for below ZAR80 and US$20) Kloof Street wines punched well above their weight, with our Chenin scoring 88/100 and the Rouge 89/100 (both “Very Good”).
All the reviews have been posted on our Website Here.
TO ORDER ANY OF THESE LIMITED VOLUME WINES, email Nicola: nicola@mullineuxwines.com
CLICK HERE for a list of STOCKISTS in South Africa or DISTRIBUTORS in your Country.
TRAVEL & UPCOMING EVENTS
It’s a relatively quiet time of the year in the cellar, and pruning is now complete. As we wait for the vines to start growing in early spring we are about to depart for a few weeks to the warm northern Hemisphere.
We will be doing some trade visits with Springboard Wine Company, our distributor in California, including a wine dinner at the fantastic Wood Tavern in Oakland on the 26th September. For those in the San Francisco area contact Farmstead Cheeses and Wines at 510 864 9463 for reservations.
As we are now selling wine at the LCBO, Chris will then be off to Toronto to work with our importer Lifford Wine Agency.
He will then head to London to spend some time with customers and attend the WOSA Cape Wine Experience in Earls Court, London on the 11th and 12th October. This show is open to the Trade during the daytime, and the public in the evening. For tickets, click here.
Final stop will be Hamburg and Celle in Germany presenting tastings with our importer Calostoga Wine. Visit their Website for details of the tastings.
Then we will head home to prepare for WineX Jhb (hope to see you Jozi Folk there!), and this year’s Highlight – the Swartland Revolution on the 11th & 12th November.
The festival promises to be a raging success once again, and we have a few suprises planned for those who attend!
Tickets for this year’s Revolution are limited and selling fast, so if you haven’t already we strongly recommend you BOOK YOURS NOW.
We look forward to seeing you at some of these events!
On a personal note, we are extremely proud to introduce our newest Family member, Philippa Mae Mullineux!
Philippa considerately timed her arrival between harvests, is healthy and giving us some solid sleep so we’ve completely fallen in Love with her!
Jz is enjoying being a big brother too, and can’t wait to show her his favorite hiding spots in the Winery.
FINALLY, HERE IS A SPRING (or AUTUMN!) RECIPE FROM ANDREA’S KITCHEN:
Nonno Gennaro’s Pollo al Limone e Zafferano- Chicken Breasts with Lemon and Saffron (serves 4):
This is a fresh and incredibly tender Italian Chicken dish that is perfect for this time of year and it pairs beautifully with our Mullineux White ; )
4 chicken breasts with the skin
salt and pepper
4 large shallots, quartered
2 carrots, finely chopped
150 g fresh peas
A few strands of saffron soaked in a few table spoons of warm water
For the Marinade:
3 tablespoons olive oil
juice of 3 lemons and grated zest of 1 lemon (to serve)
glass of Kloof Street Chenin Blanc
2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar
1 small red chili, finely chopped
2 bay leaves, roughly torn
Rub salt and pepper into the chicken breasts and place in a dish with all of the marinade ingredients. Cover and refrigerate for a few hours (at least), turning every so often.
Preheat the oven to 180 C
In an ovenproof dish heat some olive oil, add the shallots, carrots and peas and sweat on a low heat until softened. Set the vegetables aside. With some more oil, sear the chicken breasts on a high heat. Remove from the heat, add the vegetables, and strain the marinade over the chicken. Place into the oven for 1 hour. 15 minutes before the end of the cooking time, pour the saffron and soaking liquid over the chicken.
Remove the chicken and vegetables and serve on top of polenta, risotto bianco, or some quartered boiled potatoes. Pour the sauce on top, sprinkle with the lemon zest, and enjoy with Mullineux White. Salute!
DECEMBER 2010:
As 2010 draws to a close, we look back on what has been another busy, but extremely successful year for our small Family Winery.
We have settled into our own Cellar in the middle of Riebeek Kasteel, so please do pop in for a visit if you are able!
We have also spent the year fine-tuning our 21 vineyard parcels, and through our minimalist winemaking techniques, are making sure our wines continue expressing the special Granite, Schist, and Iron-rich terroirs we work with in the Swartland.
We have been fortunate to receive some superb press on the wines of our first couple of vintages. Highlights from the past year have been:
In the USA:
- On eRobertParker.com Neal Martin rating our White Blend 92 points and our Straw Wine 96 points – his highest ever rating for a South African Wine.
- The Wine Spectator rating our Syrah 90, our White Blend 92 and our Straw wine 93 points.
In the UK:
- Jamie Goode rating our Syrah 95 points.
- The Wine Gang rating our Syrah 91 and our White Blend 91 points.
- Jancis Robinson rating our Syrah 17/20, our White Blend 17,5/20 and our Straw Wine 18/20.
- Decanter placing us as one of the most exciting wineries to watch in South Africa, and rating our Syrah 18/20.
- Both Jancis Robinson and Tim Atkin including our wines in their Best of the Year lists.
And in South Africa:
- The Platter’s Wine Guide nominated both our White Blend and Straw Wine for 5 stars for the second year in a row, with all our Mullineux Wines eventually rating 4,5/5 Stars.
Not bad for a small family winery, from a sleepy town in the Swartland!
2011 Also saw the launch of our new Kloof Street range of wines, which offer incredible value for money, and the highly successful Swartland Revolution (www.theswartlandrevolution.com)… tickets for the 2011 event will go on sale soon!
As we become busier, we do not want to loose touch with our most important partner – you. To ensure we stay in touch, we are very excited to announce that we have recently employed Nicola Tipping as our Marketing Manager. Nicola comes with a brilliant energy, focus and pedigree, and she will be helping ensure you receive only the best serivice from us.
Nicola can be reached at nicola@mullineuxwines.com.
We have more exciting news coming early in the new year, but until then – We wish you and your Family all the best over the festive season, and look forward to sharing our wines with you in 2011!
Cheers!
Chris, Andrea, Keith, Peter, jz, and Nicola
