Grand Brut

This elegant and distinctive Méthode Cap Classique is made in the classic French tradition from two noble varietals, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. It is a blend of 40% Pinot Noir which imparts distinctive body, flavour and maturity, and 60% Chardonnay for a clean flintiness and green apple flavours. The grapes were hand-picked and the Chardonnay grapes harvested at 19.6 - 21.4° Balling whilst the Pinot Noir grapes were harvested at 20.7° Balling. After whole bunch pressing with minimal skin contact, the clear grape juice was left to settle before it was pumped into steel tanks for cold fermentation. Part of the wine was fermented in four year-old barrels and completed malolactic fermentation.

The diversity of soils, slopes and elevations is closely linked with the quality of Plaisir de Merle wines. Well-drained weathered granite soils (predominantly Tukulu and Hutton) with good water retention allow for minimal irrigation and most vineyards dry land. The Chardonnay grapes were selected by Niel Bester from a single 20-year-old vineyard at Plaisir de Merle situated 325m above sea level on the south-eastern slopes of the Simonsberg. The Pinot Noir grapes were sourced from two different 17-year old trellised vineyards in Stellenbosch, one on the north-eastern slopes of the Helderberg and the other on the southern slopes of the Stellenbosch Mountains.

After the first fermentation and malolactic fermentation, the wine was prepared for secondary fermentation in the bottle. The wine was left on the lees for approximately 28 months before the sediment was removed in the traditional process of remuage and dégorgement.