Big Flower Merlot

Pairs well with lamb burgers, pork loin or a steak with mushroom sauce.

North-Northwest row orientation, high density vineyard blocks of 5,600 vines per hectare at 200m altitude on decomposed granite.

It was aged for 11 months in 2nd, 3rd and 4th fill 300L French oak barrels.

The grapes are destemmed, crushed and fermented in open top fermentation tanks, with pump overs performed twice daily. The wine was pressed and racked to barrel for malolactic fermentation.

Botanica Wines was founded in 2009 by owner and self-taught winemaker Ginny Povall an intrepid American who fell in love with the beautiful Cape winelands purchased Protea Heights farm in Stellenbosch’s Devon Valley and relocated to the southern tip of Africa in 2008. Established in the late 1940s Protea Heights was the first farm in South Africa to cultivate indigenous protea flowers commercially. Inspired by this horticultural history it was only natural that Ginny would choose to develop her wine brands and labels with a botanical flair. Today the estate boasts eight varieties of proteas (four of which are hybridized species unique to the property) largely destined for export to Europe. The 21.6 hectare farm is planted with 10 hectares of indigenous flowers which bloom throughout the year and 5 hectares of organically farmed high density vineyards. Planted between 2009 and 2010 the estate vines provide the Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Cabernet Franc Petit Verdot and Albariño used to craft Botanica’s Arboretum Big Flower and Flowergirl ranges. Protea Heights is also home to Sugarbird Manor a 4-star luxury guesthouse with nine modern guest rooms and suites and four loft-inspired cottages offering the perfect winelands retreat.