2017 Mullineux, Iron Syrah, Swartland, South Africa

The 2017 Iron Syrah is my favorite of the four Syrahs offered by Mullineux this year. It has a wonderful bouquet of black fruit, clove, iron filings (predictably!) and incense that gathers momentum with aeration. The palate is medium-bodied with sappy black fruit, very fine backbone and the most vigor among all their 2017s. It sports great tension on the finish and impressive persistence. Superb.