The first Assyrtiko white I tasted from South Africa was Eben Sadie’s Sadie Family Assyrtiko 2015 produced from bunches picked from his two-year-old vines planted around his winery, coming in at 12% alcohol with a bone dry 1.4 g/l RS, a vibrant 5.9 g/l TA and a lowish pH of 3.28. The wine was astonishing and had all the salinity, mouth watering tartness and savoury fleshiness you would hope for on a delicious example. Almost all the wine made from this small crop was consumed at Cape Wine 2015 during the “alternative varieties” seminar presented by Eben Sadie and Rosa Kruger. A superb tasting that was standing room only… and also featured Sadie Family experimental wines from Verdelho, Mencia and Agiorgitiko, Newton Johnson’s maiden 2014 Albarino and Bosman’s maiden Nero d’Avola 2014.

While Eben may have pulled up all these early vines and replanted them with better vine material, he continues to make an Assyrtiko from grapes from a secret vineyard on limestone soils up the west coast near St Helena Bay. The exact location is apparently a closely guarded secret. I saw a concrete egg of the 2022 vintage in October last year at the farm but was unable to taste it as it had just been topped up by winemaker Paul Jordaan. Apparently it is destined to be blended away in the Palladius. But it was the Mullineuxs, Eben’s Swartland neighbours, who succeeded in bottling the first commercial Assyrtiko along with Stellenbosch producer Gary Jordan. The Mullineux Assyrtiko was planted at their Roundstone farm along with Macabeo, Verdelho, Vermentino and a few others cultivars while Gary had already put in two large blocks of Assyrtiko and is planning a third.

With Assyrtiko famous for making vibrantly fresh white wine styles even at elevated alcohol levels, and being very drought and heat resistant, it looks set to become one of South Africa’s most popular “cult” varieties in the years ahead. For now, the Jordan Winery and the Mullineuxs are producing two exemplary examples and I recently popped the corks and tasted these two new release 2022 Assyrtikos head-to-head.

Jordan Assyrtiko 2022, WO Stellenbosch, 13% Abv.

An expressive, dusty, mineral expression that shows an almost granitic Chenin-like fruit core with plenty of maritime salinity, white flower perfume, rock salt, freshly cut fennel and crunchy white pear. But from young vines, this is a very impressively constructed wine with a cool fleshy core, tangy acids and a peachy, green apple rock candy and piquant bite on the finish. A truly wonderful expression that may still lack some of the true volcanic “island feel” of the greatest Santorini white Assyrtiko wines, but it is nevertheless an incredible interpretation of this variety considering the age of the vines. Keep a very close watch on future releases of this wine that is sure to become a South African cult collectable. 

(Wine Safari Score: 92+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Mullineux Family Wines Assyrtiko 2022, WO Swartland, 13% Abv.

This beautiful Swartland expression shows a dense, mineral smoky aromatics with complex notes of crushed granite, dried kelp, clementine peel and sea breeze. The palate shows intricate textural layers, ample structure and deliciously complex stone fruit nuances with a definite liquid minerality undertone. A really impressive creation that blossoms in the glass showing tangerine and pithy lemon pastille. Like all the wines in the Mullineux range, this is yet another classy, polished varietal expression. Drink now and over the next 4 to 6 years.

(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Mullineux Wines are imported into the UK by Liberty Wines and Jordan Wines are represented exclusively by Awin Barret Siegel Wine Agencies (ABS).