Plaisir de Merle Merlot 2009
South African Wine Information Centre
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Plaisir de Merle Merlot 2009

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  Plaisir De Merle
Phone +27.218741071
Fax +27.218741689
eMail plaisirdemerle@capelegends.co.za
URL www.plaisirdemerle.co.za
Address P.O. Box 121
Simondium
7670
South Africa

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our wines » Plaisir de Merle Merlot 2009

R 157 per bottle
R 942 per 6 bottle casedelivered to your door in ZA 		Buy

technical analysis
Winemaker :  Niel Bester
Main Variety :  Merlot
Alcohol :  14.04  %vol
pH :  3.61
RS :  1.4 g/l
Total Acid :  6.2 g/l
Volatile Acidity :  0.45 g/l
Extract :  30.3
Balling :  24-25 °
Production :  2500  hL
Appellation :  Paarl
characteristics
Type :  Red
Style :  Dry
Body :  Full
WOODED

 
accolades
2012 SAA On-board Wine Selection: Premium Class
 
tasting notes
Colour: Ruby.
Bouquet: Teeming with violets, strawberries, blackberries, blackcurrant and sweet vanilla notes.
Taste: Medium to full-bodied with a soft and velvety palate laced with ripe fruit and supported by vanilla oak flavours.
 
ageing potential
Accessible now, this wine has good maturing potential for 5 - 8 years.
 
blend information
100% Merlot
 
food suggestions
Made to compliment most food dishes, this Merlot will especially compliment venison, pot roasts and other lightly spiced meat dishes.
 
in the vineyard

Background
Established by the French Huguenots in 1693 on the slopes of the Simonsberg Mountains between Paarl and Franschhoek, Plaisir de Merle is a rare gem.

A Distell showpiece, this 974 hectare estate in Simondium, Paarl, has earned international acclaim for its white and red wines.

About 400 hectares are planted with a variety of noble grape cultivars such as Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, Shiraz and Malbec. An area of only about 80 hectares of prime vineyards has been set aside for the Plaisir de Merle cellar. Winemaker Niel Bester, who has gained fame in producing classically styled yet accessible wines, attributes the success of his wines to being able to work with great fruit coming from a very unique terrain, as well as the valuable input from his viticulture team.

The vineyards
The diversity of the soils, slopes and elevations is closely linked with the quality of Plaisir de Merle wines. Well-drained weathered granite soils with good water retention allow minimal irrigation with most vineyards dry land. The grapes were chosen and handpicked from three vineyards. Starting on February 9 and ending on March 27! They are situated between 300m and 370m above sea level on the south-eastern slopes of the Simonsberg. The result is a combination of floral notes, ripe red berry fruit and minerality from the granite which is evident in every glass.
Viticulturist: Freddie le Roux
 
about the harvest
The grapes were harvested at between 24.4° - 25.7° Balling.
 
in the cellar
After harvesting the grapes were fermented in stainless steel tanks at 25°C for 9 days. The juice was pumped over the skins daily until dry. Upon completion of fermentation the wine was left on the skins for about eight days to macerate. The wine was racked off and malolactic fermentation was completed in the tanks and barrels. The wine was matured in 50% new, 25% second-fill and 25% third-fill French oak barrels for periods ranging from 12 to 16 months. Finally all the individual barrels were tasted and evaluated to select the final blend.
 
  
 
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other vintages

Plaisir de Merle Merlot 2009 Niel Bester Merlot
Plaisir de Merle Merlot 2008 Niel Bester Merlot
Plaisir de Merle Merlot 2007 Niel Bester Merlot
Plaisir de Merle Merlot 2005 Niel Bester Merlot
Plaisir de Merle Merlot 2004 Niel Bester Merlot
Plaisir de Merle Merlot 2003 Niel Bester Merlot
Plaisir de Merle Merlot 2002 Niel Bester Merlot
Plaisir de Merle Merlot 2001 Niel Bester Merlot
Plaisir de Merle Merlot 2000 Niel Bester Merlot
Plaisir de Merle Merlot 1999 Niel Bester Merlot
Plaisir De Merle Merlot 1998 Niel Bester Merlot