Description
Meerlust - Merlot 75cl
Winery: Meerlust
Grape Variety: Merlot
Region: South Africa, Stellenbosch
Alcohol Content: %
Food Pairing: pair with roasted chicken, creamy pastas, mild cheeses
Description:
In The Vineyard
Our Merlot is a true expression of the variety as grown on the Meerlust estate and draws fruit from two of our four distinctive terroirs. Each terroir provides a unique element to the final blend.
Compagniesdrift - The soils from this warm north facing slope are predominantly formed from weathered granite. The wines originating from this granitic hilltop are expressive and bold in structure, mainly due to the coarse gravelly texture and sufficient soil depth to promote long and even ripening.
The Quarry - The extremely rocky terrain consisting of greywacke with interbedded shales provides a unique substrate for vines. Shallow rooted vines on this cool and windswept foot slope leads to wines with characteristic red fruit with exceptional length, detail, and precision.
Compagniesdrift - The soils from this warm north facing slope are predominantly formed from weathered granite. The wines originating from this granitic hilltop are expressive and bold in structure, mainly due to the coarse gravelly texture and sufficient soil depth to promote long and even ripening.
The Quarry - The extremely rocky terrain consisting of greywacke with interbedded shales provides a unique substrate for vines. Shallow rooted vines on this cool and windswept foot slope leads to wines with characteristic red fruit with exceptional length, detail, and precision.
About The Harvest
Higher than the long-term average rainfall was recorded during the winter months leading up to the harvest. Soil profiles were well saturated at the beginning of the growing season with bud break being delayed due to low soil temperatures for up to nine days compared to the previous year.
Exceptional summer rainfall resulted in lush canopies with high growth rates due to access to water and higher mean temperatures recorded in the growing season.
Although bud break occurred later, flowering and veraison only differed a day or two from the previous season. The pace of the season was slowed down by a dry and warm temperatures recorded during the ripening period this led to harvest starting later.
This resulted in good hang times, minimal harvesting pressure due to lower yields enabling the picking of grapes at optimal ripeness levels. Wines of this season shows finesse and fruit freshness coupled with a fine tannin structure.
Exceptional summer rainfall resulted in lush canopies with high growth rates due to access to water and higher mean temperatures recorded in the growing season.
Although bud break occurred later, flowering and veraison only differed a day or two from the previous season. The pace of the season was slowed down by a dry and warm temperatures recorded during the ripening period this led to harvest starting later.
This resulted in good hang times, minimal harvesting pressure due to lower yields enabling the picking of grapes at optimal ripeness levels. Wines of this season shows finesse and fruit freshness coupled with a fine tannin structure.
In The Cellar
This vintage is 100% Merlot. It is made up of a few individual parcels that are all fermented separately before undergoing malolactic fermentation in 300 L barrels. After 6 months in barrel, the final components were selected and blended and put back to barrel for 12 months in 40% new French oak for further maturation before bottling.