Merlot

Best enjoyed with hearty meat dishes including lamb, beef, venison, quail, guinea fowl and duck. Hugely versatile in every respect.

Matured for 18 months in a selection of first, second, third and fourth fill French oak barrels and racked at intervals as necessary.

Berry sorting and ‘gentle hands’ in the cellar is definitely a theme in the vinification of Merlot… Following meticulous sorting both mechanically and by-hand, whole berries (as opposed to the typical crushing of the berries) are fermented with natural yeasts, gentle pump overs two to three times a day ensuring optimal colour, tannin and flavour extract. Made in classic, minimal interventionist manner with no extended skin maceration, each of the four batches (or individual pickings) is vinified separately.

The farm lies on the slopes of Devon Valley’s northern ridge and rises from 200m to 310m above sea level. The whole site has a southerly aspect with grand views of False Bay and the mountains surrounding Stellenbosch. The winery was built in 1990 with commercial production beginning with the 1997 vintage. In the beautiful valleys of the Western Cape, South Africa, two of the country’s Master Wine makers get together to bring us masterful boutique wines. With a collective 45 years of travel, studies and experience, the winemakers at Meinert are set to delight as they add to their already impressive vintages.