Ernie Els

Major Series Merlot

Name: Major Series Merlot
Brand: Ernie Els
Price: 230 ZAR
Availability: OutOfStock

Merlot from Stellenbosch, South Africa

R230

Bottle size:

750 ml

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Ernie Els Wines

Radiant crimson going inky to the core. An exotic bouquet of hibiscus in bloom, freshly crushed red cherries, raspberries and the undergrowth of forest berries in a pine grove. Unfurls to notes of cigar box, cinnamon-clove spice and winter earth. On the palate red and black berries sail on a gravelly undertow of slate: cherry coulis spirals through, juicing the vibrant texture, complementary to the lifted, racy acid and airy, rounded tannins. This red incandescence of bright fruit shades into savoury on the back palate finishing with a satisfactory tannic chew.

Red Cherries

Raspberry

Cinnamon Spice

Cigar Box

The hand-picked bunches arrive at the winery in the morning. The bunches are sorted, destemmed, after which the berries are sorted again to ensure that only the ripe berries go to the tank. Whole berries are fermented in open top tanks as well as in barrels. Intermittent pump-overs and punch downs ensure a balance between flavour, colour and tannin extraction from the skins. All ferments are meticulously monitored during fermentation to ensure that all the natural aromas and flavours are preserved and highlighted as required. After primary fermentation some batches will be left on the skins for extended maceration as required. The batches are pressed and transferred to a combination of old and new oak for maturation. Each batch of Merlot is maturated separately (micro-vinified) in oak barrels before blending and eventual bottling.

Our harvest period started a few weeks earlier than in 2019 as the favourable growing conditions in spring sped up bud burst and the warm, sunny summer days that followed allowed for effective grape ripening. The summer temperatures were warm, but moderate and the grapes were allowed to accumulate their concentrated flavours. We were fortunate to bring in good yields, despite the fact that we had some variation in some of the blocks. Luckily, we had sufficient rainfall in the winter months, which made for a promising growing season. Our site is comprised of a granite mother material, with mainly Tukulu and Oakleaf soil types as well as a high clay content. This allowed for good water retention into the summer months, which helped in retaining moisture. Our bunches developed nicely and we were happy with the sugar levels and good concentration of complex flavours in the grapes.

Ernie Els

As one of South Africa's leading ambassadors and one of the most recognizable faces in the world of sport it is befitting that Ernie chose Stellenbosch to produce his wines. In 1999 the concept of Ernie Els Wines was born and with the help of award-winning winemaker Louis Strydom they produced the maiden 2000 vintage of Ernie Els - a 'classic' Bordeaux blend. The intention from the outset was to focus on delivering a quality product that could hold its own in the company of the world's finest wines.