Grand Plaisir Red 2020

American Wagyu Denver Steak With Chimichurri dressing and and potato Dauphinoise.

All of Plaisirs top parcels are farmed without irrigation rendering the vines under natural stress factors that create an environment for the roots to grow deep into the mid slopes of the Simonsberg mountain. These slopes largely comprise of weathered granite and alluvial soils. The mid slopes (230m and 350m above sea-level) are also roughly four degrees colder than at the base of the farm. This also allows for cool evening and morning breezes that flow down through the vines.

Malolactic fermentation or secondary fermentation was completed in the barrel and matured in 300-litre French oak barrels for 18 months, of these barrels 40% was new. The wine is racked four times in total before entering the bottle. Great care went into the selection of individual barrels to create this unique wine. After blending, the wine spent a further 3 months in tank for all the personalities to harmonise.

At Plaisir, in the early morning, grapes are harvested by hand and placed in 18kg fruit boxes to keep the fruit chilled and without bruising. The Grand Plaisir blend focuses on phenolic ripeness that ranges between mid-February to mid-March at sugars of 24 °and 25° Brix. They are all fermented in their individual batches, small stainless-steel tanks are used at a controlled maximum temperature of 24°-28°C for 9 to 11 days. The individual batches had pump overs morning and evening to extract colour, tannins and flavour. Upon completion of fermentation the juice now 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.