Grand Plaisir

Serve with grilled meats or pot-roasts.

Grapes were sourced from the Plaisir de Merle vineyards in Simondium. The vines, ranging in age from 9 -18 years, are situated between 230m and 350m above sea-level on the south-eastern slopes of the Simonsberg.

The wine was racked and malolactic fermentation was completed in the barrels and matured in new 300-litre French oak barrels for 18 months. Great care went into the selection of individual barrels to create this unique wine. After blending, the wine spent another 6 months in 3rd fill barrels. The wine had one coarse filtration before bottling.

The grapes were harvested from mid-February to mid-March between 25.1 ° and 25.3° Balling and were fermented in small stainless-steel tanks at 24°C for 9 to 11 days. The juice was pumped over the skins daily to extract colour, tannins and flavour. Upon completion of fermentation the wine was left on the skins for a further 3 to 7 days.

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.