Mullineux Olerasay 3° Straw Wine Chenin Blanc

The Olerasay 2° is 100% Chenin Blanc with 8.5% alcohol and 331g/l of residual sugar, not that you notice those figures. It was bottled on 17 January 2020. 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.

I wanted to re-taste the NV Olersay again after a spectacular showing during the year when it was served blind. This is the same bottling as the previous one, since they have only drawn from the solera one time, although of course there will be more in the future when they feel that there is sufficient difference. If I am being truly honest, the aroma and flavor components are almost exactly the same as before, so you can refer to my previous note to ascertain those. However, what strikes me now is that sheer effortlessness that comes through on the wine, as if it is not straining hard to achieve this level of quality. 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.

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.

A deep copper hue leads into apricot, peach marmalade, honeycomb and sweet thyme. Full-bodied and so decant and rich. The palate is deep and nutty. So complex and so delicious. Seamless with a thick, oily texture. Goes on for minutes. Superb. This will only get better, as long as you can resist opening the bottle. A solera blend of 14 vintages. Drink or hold.