Merlot

Beef tagliata, arugula and Trevisana salad.

A dry winter season with well below average rainfall. Cold units were made up for in later winter and early spring. Slightly earlier budding, but good, even budding and flowering with an average yield. December brought a lot of rain, lowering temperatures and replenishing water reserves. Hot weather in early January encouraged ripening, becoming more moderate with cool nights to retain acidity. A good vintage for white varieties, with a lot of rain during the month of March making it a challenging vintage for reds.

Malolactic fermentation took place in barrel, after which the wine matured in seasoned French oak for 12 months. Individual parcels of Merlot are vinified separately and blended before bottling

Fermentation completed in open top stainless steel fermentation tanks. During fermentation punch-downs and pump overs were performed four times daily to ensure balanced extraction of colour and flavour. After fermentation a further 14 days of maceration on the skins was allowed.

Jean Engelbrecht along with his friends Dillie Malherbe and Jannie Durand set out to create a wine that would not only embody all that is Stellenbosch but that would also pay homage to this great town at the heart of the Cape winelands. Each wine in this range pays tribute to an historical landmark in Stellenbosch.