The Mullineux Story
Established in 2007 by dynamic husband and wife winemaking team Chris and Andrea Mullineux; as of 2016 they’d amassed a record seventeen 5 star ratings from Platter’s South African wine guide as well as being awarded Red Wine of the Year in 2013 and 2016 and Winery of the Year in 2014 and 2016. Based in the Swartland, with a firm belief that the schist and granite terroir can yield truly great wines; the focus is on Chenin Blanc and Syrah, with a Mullineux flagship range and a second label called Kloof Street. In exceptional vintages an ultra-premium range of terroir specific wines are made in small quantities. There is a strong focus on heritage and the special qualities in wines from old vines. Chris hails from Johannesburg and initially pursued accounting before a second degree in winemaking, Andrea grew up in the San Francisco area and graduated from the renowned University of California, Davis with a degree in Viticulture and Oenology. Andrea is a member of the prestigious Cape Wine Makers Guild (CWG) and was Wine Enthusiast Magazine Winemaker of The Year in 2016. This powerhouse couple is behind some of the most sought after South African wines on the global stage.
The De Trafford Story
Set on the majestic Mont Fleur family farm in the Helderberg, architect turned winemaker, David Trafford, puts the emphasis on his own boutique winery, producing age worthy, balanced, complex, serious styled reds. David works with one white grape variety to craft a Chenin Blanc and Straw Wine (Vin de Paille as it is known in France). The straw wine was South Africa’s first made in this style and has become the benchmark for other producers. With a vision for perfection and exploration David has worked all over the world; his experience in St. Emilion, Bordeaux no doubt reflecting in his well-structured wines known for remarkable aging potential. David’s wines have consistently scored over 90 points with Wine Spectator magazine for more than 15 years including a coveted 96 for his De Trafford Syrah 393 2011; the best SA red wine score to date in the publication. A family affair, David’s talented wife, artist - Rita Trafford, crafts the exquisite labels annually for the Chenin Blanc and has done the Straw Wine label and box. David is also a member of the prestigious Cape Wine Makers Guild (CWG).
The Leeu Passant Story
Since 2013 Chris & Andrea Mullineux, have been working on a new wine project with their partner Analjit Singh and offer a flagship portfolio of wines called Leeu Passant - a name derived from heraldry, where a “Lion Passant” is a walking lion. For many years, their viticulturist, Rosa Kruger, has been enthusing about special parcels of vines outside the Swartland; however, they couldn’t use these as Mullineux and Kloof Street wines have a pedigree exclusively from these Swartland vineyards. Leeu Passant is the opportunity to harness exciting vineyards outside the Swartland, creating a new, top class winery, producing wines with the same attention to detail, passion, and uncompromisingly high standards that their Swartland counterpart wines are made with. These multi-regional fine wines, incorporating several very special and old (up to 117 years old!) vineyards, celebrate the rich history of South African wine. Using the Cape’s wine heritage dating back to the 17th Century as inspiration, Chris and Andrea decided to deconstruct the venerable Cape wines of the 1950’s, 1960’s and 1970’s, retain their best component parts, and then reconstruct them in a modern, minimalist way while respecting tradition. They are carefully crafted at the Leeu Passant cellar of Mullineux & Leeu Family Wines, based on the magnificent Leeu Estates in Franschhoek.
The Fledge Story
The Fledge & Company is what happens when two folk (Leon Coetzee and Margaux Nel) don’t quite relish the status quo; it’s simply in their nature to go against the grain, to forge a path mostly in the unknown, eschewing common place convention and taking that first defiant flight from the nest. Hand crafting “old skool” wines of integrity, unfaltering quality, defying perceptions of origin and being guided solely by the vine to showcase their passion – these are The Fledge & Co.’s reasons for being. Wines whispering of their origin; wines benefitting from careful cellaring; wines that are best decanted & accompanied in good cheer with fine fare – that’s their unwavering goal. Each wine has a story and fascinating label (many feature local artists illustrations or photos from their travels) with a quote that inspires them. With these tenets, a penchant for the unconventional, the pursuit of the fluid dynamic, they set about labouring away in the vineyards across the Cape of Good Hope to produce an experimental range called Jikken Bareru (Japanese for “Experimental Barrel”) - a way of enabling them to have some fun and experiment further. We don’t know anyone else prepared to drive 22,000 kilometres to harvest grapes from all corners of the Cape, do you?
The Sijnn Story
Sijnn (pronounced Seine like the French river or sane as in sound of mind) is a rugged, beautiful, pioneering wine estate in the middle of nowhere at the end of a long, dusty, bumpy road at the Southern tip of Africa. When David and Rita Trafford visited the Malgas region for the first time in 2000, they were blown away with the incredible soils specifically in the Lemoentuin area and immediately set about finding a suitable property to purchase. Inspired by these unique soils, they planted Portuguese and Southern Rhone Cultivars with a few other bits and bobs. Sijnn is the most extreme vineyard in the Western Cape. The maths make sense. Take poor soils (90% rock) and ridiculously low rainfall of just 350mm annually and you get low vigour, low yielding bush vines of exceptionally high quality. Most of the Sijnn vineyards are based on soils with a combination of alluvial deposits on the Bokkeveld shale base – balancing intensity and structure with aromatic complexity and finesse. Today, winemaker Charla Haasbroek Bosman, is planting more Mediterranean and Southern European varieties, giving rise to fresh, intense, complex wines of great individual character.
The Richard Kershaw Story
Born and raised in the UK, Richard Kershaw enjoyed a successful career as a chef before discovering wine. After travelling extensively, he arrived in South Africa in 1999 and, by 2009, was Group Winemaker of Mulderbosch and Kanu. Richard became a Master of Wine in 2011 and established Richard Kershaw Wines in January 2012. He’s now pursuing his dream of making his own wine in the cool climate of Elgin, in the Overberg wine region of the Western Cape. His intention is to create site-specific, cool-climate wines from high-quality French clones of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah grapes. His site, in one of South Africa’s coolest wine districts, benefits from higher altitude, proximity to the ocean, specific cloud cover sequencing and large differences in day and night temperatures, all of which allow his wines to show a true sense of place. Richard Kershaw is one of the only 10 British Masters of Wine who makes their own wine and tasting with him is always a treat. His first two vintages of Chardonnay received 5 starts in the Platter’s Wine Guide with the 2012 being selected as one of the “Top 10 Chardonnays in the World outside Burgundy” by Decanter. He currently has five, five-star Platter gems. With only a limit number of cases being produced each year, the focus is on uncompromising quality and some fun under the Smuggler’s Boot range.
The Miles Mossop Story
Miles’ wine foundation was laid early on in his life. He is the son of Kathy and the late Tony Mossop, a Cape Wine Master and distinguished South African wine authority. After graduating with a BSc in Geology, thereby setting his foundation for understanding terroir, Miles went on to complete a further degree in Viticulture and Enology at Stellenbosch University, graduating “top of class” in 1998. Miles worked harvests with the legendary Gyles Webb at Thelema and Eben Sadie at Spice Route before stirring the lees as far afield as Knappstein in the Clare Valley and Far Niente in Napa. This first-rate experience, obtained in such a short space of time, brought him to the attention of GT Ferreira and he was appointed winemaker to then fledgling winery, Tokara, in 2000 – and as they say, the rest is history given that he has spent nearly two decades there. Miles Mossop Wines burst onto the scene in 2004 when the first eponymous wines were made. The wines are names after his three children, Saskia-Jo, Maximilian and Kika with a second label, The Introduction Chenin Blanc and Red Blend wines more suited to a by the glass offering. His wines speak of finesse and elegance whilst showing aspects of power and fruit - having great texture and balance. From the earliest stages of his career Miles achieved international recognition for his wines; he achieved scores of 94 points for the Kika 2009 in Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate, and five stars in South Africa’s Platter’s Wine Guide. When not making wine, this family man can be found catching the waves and currently is the reigning champ of SA’s Vintners Surf Classic tournament.
The Paserene Story
Handcrafted, luxury, artisanal wines by winemaker Martin Smith (formerly of Vilafonte) are both admirable for the eyes and the taste buds. The name Paserene comes from the Latin word Passeriformes, the order of "traveling and free" birds containing swifts and swallows, and is also a play on the common house martin, a migratory passerine bird of the swallow family. Paserene’s exquisite wine labels created by Lorraine Loots, Carmen Ziervogel, and Lauren Ann McCarthy give insight; The swallow on the Marathon was created by Lorraine to commemorate Smith’s time in in the United States, and his traveling back and forth, Ziervogel created the pencil sketch of the woman on the Chardonnay as he sees wine as a woman and Elgin, where these vineyards are situated, is “intoxicatingly beautiful” noting the final wine as fragile and powerful. Both Ziervogel and Loots worked on the label for Union (the Rhone style blend), which shows a pencil outline of a woman who has her hand outstretched to a flying bird indicating terroir as a careful dance between Mother Nature and the winemaker. Martin says “I want the person who drinks my wine to feel that it is a special moment”. Wines are unfiltered to bring out the best qualities of the soils and textures; the range speaks of quality and individuality.
The Raats Family Story
Raats Family Wines is a family owned winery situated in the Polkadraai Hills area of Stellenbosch, South Africa. Award-winning winemaker Bruwer Raats has received international and local praise during his highly acclaimed career as both cellar master and viticulturist par excellence - most recently receiving the acclaimed Platter's Wine Guide Winery of the Year Award in 2018, accompanied by a record-breaking eight 5-star wines. The focus is on Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc. A great deal of effort has gone into sourcing specific soil types and old low-yielding vineyards located in the Stellenbosch, Paarl, Durbanville Hills and the Paardeberg area. "The best viticultural soil for Chenin Blanc in all the land is undoubtedly located in and around Stellenbosch. We source from vines on average 25 years old, grown 250m above sea level - perfect!" All grapes are handpicked and wines made with his extensive knowledge and attention to detail. The result is a truly distinctive showcase for South African wine and soil.
The B Vintners Vine Exploration Company Story
In a quest of exploring vines around the Cape of Good Hope, cousins Bruwer Raats and Gavin Bruwer Slabbert craft their wines from historic varieties celebrating heritage. They describe it as a ‘vine exploration company’, and the aim is to tell the story of the heritage of the South African wine industry by sourcing grapes from some of the most interesting vineyards in the Cape. The prime focus is on distinct vineyard sites, in high-lying areas, close to the ocean and planted on weathered soils. These wines from B Vintners tell a unique story. B Vintners is winemaking with pioneering spirit. 2014 was their maiden vintage, but the project was conceived in 2013 and it has been a learning curve. The winemakers’ passion, humility and love for wine are palpable in each bottle.
The Mvemve Raats Story
MR de Compostella ('The Compilation of Stars'), arguably one of the most iconic Bordeaux style blends in South Africa is created through a winemaking partnership between Bruwer Raats and his good friend, Mzokona Mvemve. This wine is born of a desire to create a consistent, ultra-premium Bordeaux-style blend; a world class wine from South Africa. The range features only one wine. It is not a recipe or a blend created in a particular style. Mzokona and Bruwer assess every component selecting the best blindly and scoring them independently before averaging their scores and re-tasting those that have performed exceptionally well. Based on the highest scores, the blend is created reflecting what mother nature has given them in each unique vintage. With the 2004 maiden vintage released in 2006 the MR received praise and grabbed the attention of wine critics, being the first South African Bordeaux style wine to break the barrier of 93 points in Wine Spectator. Neal Martin's scores from that first vintage through 2014 have consistently been high with the 2014 release scoring 94. So far, the 2015 vintage has received 98 points from Greg Sherwood MW and 96 from Tim Atkin MW. Well-deserved awards and accolades hardly compare to the experience of sipping the recent 2015 vintage - this is a big wine, intense, well balanced, judiciously oaked and sure to reward optimum cellaring.
