Provenance

Wine Cellar Private Client

Critics Ratings

Mullineux Olerasay No.1:

‘It is not the most unctuous wine, the most powerful and ostentatious, yet that precision in the finish is bewitching and worthy of what I think to date might the highest score I have ever awarded to a South African wine’. – Neil Martin, Wine Advocate, 99/100

'Made from vintages 2008-2014, fractionally blended solera-style (hence the ‘pig Latin’ name!). NV richly woven, with layered glacé pineapple, caramel, citrus peel & toasted hazelnuts; vast 260 g/l sugar is uncloying, with lovely freshness, piquancy & length at just 11% alcohol. A Bacchanalian masterpiece, deserved recipient of the inaugural Dessert Wine of the Year award.' - Platter's SA Wine Guide, 5* (2016)

'Made from vintages 2008-2014, fractionally blended. NV richly woven, with layered glacé pineapple, caramel, citrus peel & toasted hazelnuts; 260 g/l sugar is uncloying, with lovely freshness, piquancy & length at just 11% alcohol. Inaugural Dessert Wine of the Year in 2016.' - Platter's SA Wine Guide, 5* (2017)

Mullineux Olerasay No.2:

''It is an ethereal wine that gives me no choice but to use a simple word loaded with meaning and one I rarely use with respect to wine...perfection. The 375ml bottle was examined over the course of two weeks during which time it barely changed. Each time I put it under a microscope looking for a fault. I never found one. Golden in colour, it has an intoxicating bouquet with orange sorbet, quince, lemon verbena and a very slight Aszú-like note that hovers in the background. Having recently tasted plenty of Sauternes, I can’t help noticing how the aromatics are unencumbered by a thick cloak of oak, thereby lending the bouquet brightness and vividness that is totally enthralling. This all translates across to the crystalline palate. The perfect seam of acidity cuts like an ancient Samurai sword through the viscous fruit whose purity is off the charts. This electrifying Olerasay does not mess about – it immediately thrills the senses with its mélange of blood orange, apricot, crushed minerals and passion fruit. There is so much energy in this wine. The finish has a weightless quality that means, despite its high residual sugar level, the wine is actually easy to drink and is not weighed down by its own unctuousness. The killer aspect of this is the soupçon of bitter orange that hits the back of the throat. I suspected that a perfect Olerasay was possible after the first iteration. This is it. Despite this being a Cellar Favorite, don’t feel you are committing a heinous crime popping the cork now because who knows where we will be by the end of 2020. Just bear in mind that this wine will last decades.' - Neal Martin, Vinous, 100/100 (Jul 2020)

A total one-off in the world of South African wine, this is the second release from the Mullineux's Chenin Blanc solera, made with components that date back to 2008. It has a cavity-challenging 331 grams of sugar, but you don't notice the sweetness because of the balancing acidity. Almond, marzipan, apple tart, citrus peel and layers of balsamic complexity make this one of the best sweet wines in the Cape. 2020-28' - Tim Atkin MW, SA Special Report 2020, 97/100

'Intense yet very harmonious, this vibrant wine is gold in color and somewhat light, but keeps coming back to you in waves. Shows beautiful balance, coating the palate with rich flavors of peach preserves, candied orange, mint and honeycomb, underscored by singed lemon peel and subtle sea salt notes that offer even more allure, followed by an endless finish. The second release of this solera-aged straw wine. Drink now through 2050.' - Wine Spectator, 97/100 (Nov 2020)

'Remarkable occasionally released dessert wine, chenin from 3 parcels with highest acidity, mat-dried to intensify aromas & flavours; fractionally blended for further concentration, complexity & harmony. NV from 2008-2019 vintages, wonderfully elegant & multi-layered, near-perfect balance of acid & sugar.' - Platter's SA Wine Guide 2021, 5* (97/100)

Mullineux Essence 2012

'Chris and Andrea Mullineux are continually pushing the boundaries of South African wine, and here they are again with a lusciously sweet wine that took four years to finish fermenting. Essence sums up this incredible Chenin Blanc, made without botrytis or skin contact, just very sweet grapes. Marmalade, cre`me bru^le´e and honeyed notes are balanced by vivid, palate-cleansing acidity. 2017-30' - Tim Atkin MW, SA Special Report 2017, 97/100 - Overall Sweet Wine of the Year

'Unique & special; took 4.5 years to ferment this ultra-concentrated chenin. Amber gold, stonefruit pips & dried fruit, tealeaf note reminiscent of fine tawny port. Just 5% alcohol, sumptuous 610 g/l fruit-infused sugar, yet has tangy freshness. Knockout. 250 ml.' - Platter's SA Wine Guide, 5* & Dessert Wine of the Year

'The 2012 Essence is essentially the last of two-day pressing, fermented for four years in barrel, 4.5% alcohol with (drum roll please) a whopping 650 grams per liter of residual sugar. It was pressed at around 80 brix! Refulgent amber in color, it has a gorgeous orange sorbet, syrup, fig, Seville orange marmalade and quince-scented bouquet that is very well defined. The palate is, to quote Chris himself, a "complete monster"—a diabetic's worst nightmare. The senses are bewildered and then seduced by the payload of sweet honeyed fruit, the 14.5 grams of acidity maintaining the balance and freshness. It positively lacquers the inside of the mouth and the finish delivers just a very subtle bitter lemon note that prevents it from being cloying. Outrageous and probably immortal. There are 700 bottles, all 250-milliliters.' - Robert Parker, Wine Advocate, 98/100 (April 2017)