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De Toren Private Cellar, Meerlust Estate and Mullineux
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About this Item
Established in 2007 by the dynamic husband-and-wife team, Chris and Andrea Mullineux have, in a very short space of time, established Mullineux as one of South Africa’s most celebrated producers. Their track record speaks for itself: Awarded Wine Enthusiast’s International Winemaker of the Year in 2016, Tim Atkin’s SA Winemakers of the Year in 2017 and Five times Platter's Winery of the Year (2014, 2016, 2019, 2020, 2023).
Grapes for the 2012 Essence were sourced from one parcel of 33 year-old Chenin Blanc planted in the stony Shale and Schist based soils of the Kasteelberg, and one parcel of 40+ year-old dry land, bush vine Chenin Blanc grown in the decomposed Granite of the Paardeberg.
Critics Ratings
'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)
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