Salute to Olerasay 2°
Join us once again, as we raise our glasses to Mullineux & Leeu Family Wines who have released their Mullineux Olerasay 2° Straw Wine this past week.
Highly acclaimed wine critic Neal Martin of Vinous had this to say after tasting Olerasay 2°, “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.” His praise was cemented by affording Olerasay 2° a perfect 100 Points – the first time a major US Wine Publication has given a perfect score to a South African Wine.
This confirms the prestige of this special fractionally blended sweet wine. The first release, Olerasay 1° (Primiero), which was a blend of all vintages from 2008 to 2014 was launched in 2015 was awarded South African Sweet Wine of the Year in the Platters Guide, and rated 99 Points from Wine Advocate, Vinous and Greg Sherwood MW.
Olerasay 2° (Segundo) is a Straw Wine made in a solera style from old Swartland Chenin Blanc vineyards. The vines are planted in the stony Schist based soils of the Kasteelberg and the decomposed Granite based soils of the Paardeberg. Every year Chris and Andrea Mullineux perhaps bottle a vintage straw wine and also hold back a portion to blend into the Solera which now contains 12 vintages from 2008 to 2019. For more than a decade in the maturation cellar, Olerasay has been gaining complexity and concentrating in flavour, richness and acidity, enhancing its beautiful balance. The bottling of Olerasay only takes place when they feel it is significantly more concentrated, complex and distinct from our vintage Straw Wine. The bottling process is known as Solera, as we are legally not allowed to use the term “Solera” on the bottles, they named the wine Olerasay.
Tasting Note:
Bright golden straw in colour, with a rich, viscous appearance. The nose and palate is a complex, enticing dried peaches, apricots, honey and marmalade, with a savoury nuttiness. The intense mouth feel is balanced by a clean, fresh and very long finish Best served chilled at 9 to 11°C.
Pairing:
Andrea Mullineux related to pairing: " It's pretty much a dessert on its own, but it traditionally goes well with cheese, baked fruits, and nuts"
Winemaking:
Grapes are harvested at normal ripeness levels of 22 to 23 ˚ Brix and left to dry in the shade of some trees for a few weeks. This allows the moisture to evaporate naturally from the berries, concentrating sugars, acids and flavor. When the grapes have shrivelled halfway to becoming raisins, they are crushed and pressed whole bunch into old 225 L barrels. The juice ferments naturally for around 9 months and finishes on its own, with no fortification or filtration. They will continue adding to the Solera for decades to come, bottling a portion every 5 to 10 years or so.
Varietal: 100% Chenin Blanc
Bottling Date: 17 January 2020
Production: 6180 bottles / 515 cases
Wine of Origin: Swartland
Andrea Mullineux, Chris Mullineux, Mullineux and Leeu Family Wines, Olerasay
Andrea Mullineux, Chris Mullineux, Mullineux and Leeu Family Wines, Olerasay, Chenin Blanc
Olerasay, Chenin Blanc
For queries:
Trade: nicola@mlfwines.com
Private: orders@mlfwines.com
Media requests: chris@mlfwines.com
Video link of the Mullineux talking about the wine: Click HERE
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