Merlot

Please note: Award stickers are applied at the producer's discretion and may not be present on all bottles.

The grapes were picked at optimal tannin and fruit ripeness with a sugar of 24-24.5 Brix. Berries were sorted before being fermented in 10 ton fermenters with a temperature peak at 27°C. During the active part of fermentation, we gave the wine three pump overs. This action allows for a soft extraction of ripe skin tannin and colour.

Two very different vineyards in Stellenbosch supplied the fruit for this wine. The first site, 350m above sea level on the south-west facing slopes of the Polkadraai Hills area, provides bright and juicy fruit with good acidity, tannic weight and absolute fruit density on the palate. The second vineyard on the lower South Western slopes of Polkadraai Hills, offers Ribena Ripeness, generosity and length on the palate. Although soil types differ between the sites, they all have some form of decomposed granite lying over structured clay subsoil allowing for ample drainage and water retention when required.

The wine is aged in 20% first fill, 20% 2nd fill and the reminder seasoned 300L French oak barrels for 12 months.