Major Series Merlot

Herb grilled tenderloin fillets with mushroom Merlot sauce.

The 2021 Vintage was the first vintage where the vines started to come back into their normal circadian rhythm with the rain and temperatures normalizing. This vintage started with the soil at full water holding capacity allowing the vines to bud with no limitations. The temperatures this season were relatively hot, but had intermittent cooler days with rain. This led to stretching the ripening of the fruit to allow the ripening process to continue for longer. The Merlot vineyards grow on the warm, north-facing slopes of the Helderberg region within the Stellenbosch appellation. With an altitude of approximately 250 metres above sea level, together with the cooling influence of the Atlantic Ocean, the ripening period can be extended, resulting in wines with phenolic ripeness.

Aged for 16 months in French Oak barrels (20% new)

Hand-picked bunches arrived at the winery in the early hours of the morning. The bunches were sorted and destemmed, after which the berries underwent secondary sorting via an optical sorter to ensure that only the ripe berries remained. These whole berries were fermented in open top tanks. Intermittent pump-overs and punch downs ensured a balance was achieved when extracting flavour, colour and tannins from the skins. All ferments were meticulously monitored during fermentation to ensure that the natural aromas and flavours were preserved. After primary fermentation some batches were left on the skins for an extended maceration period. The batches were pressed and transferred to various old and new oak for maturation. Each batch of Merlot was micro-vinified in barrels before blending and bottling took place.

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.