Chardonnay

Enjoy on its own or with fish, white meats and salads.

The diversity of the soils, slopes and elevation is closely linkedwith the quality of Plaisir de Merle wines. Well-drained, weathered granite soils (predominantly Tukulu and Hutton), with good water retention, allow the three dry-land Chardonnay vineyards to capture the true character of climate and soils in itsfruit. The vineyards, aged 8 to 9 years are situated between 250m and 450m above sea level on the southeastern slopes of the Simonsberg.

The grapes were harvested by hand at 23.4° to 24.5° Balling. The grapes were divided into four different parts and each crushed, clarified and fermented separately in 300-litre French oak barrels. A combination of first-fill (56%), second-fill (24%) and third-fill (20%) barrels were used and the wine remained on thelees for 9 months. The barrels were rolled or stirred regularly to suspend the lees in order to gain complexity, better integrated oak flavours and to add to the mouth-feel of the wine. Partial malolactic fermentation contributed to the wine’scomplexity,softened the acidity and contributed to the sweet, rich and full finish.The individual barrels were then tasted and the blend composed.

Established by the French Huguenots in 1693 on the slopes of the Simonsberg Mountains between Paarl and Franschhoek, Plaisir Wine Estate is a rare gem. This 974-hectare estate in Simonsberg-Paarl has earned international acclaim for its white and red wines. About 230 hectares are planted with a variety of noble grape cultivars such as Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, and Malbec. Winemaker Fred Fismer attributes producing award-winning wines to being able to work with great fruit coming from a very unique terrain and the invaluable input from his viticulture team.