La Motte Millennium 2013

The nose of this wine tells the story of how it was made. Raspberry (Merlot), as light herbaciousness (Cabernet Franc) and English toffee (oak) combine in a harmonious way. Malbec and Petit Verdot provide colour and spice. The palate is juicy and rich and leaves a lingering dry, fresh finish.

Ideal with any sumptuous meal. Best served with red meats, game, roasts and noble, matured cheese.

variety : Merlot [ 57% Merlot, 24% Cabernet Franc, 9% Malbec, 7% Petit Verdot, 3% Cabernet Sauvignon ]
winery : La Motte
winemaker : Edmund Terblanche
wine of origin : Western Cape
analysis : alc : 13.76 % vol  rs : 2.4 g/l  pH : 3.48  ta : 5.8 g/l  
type : Red   wooded
pack : Bottle  size : 0  closure : Cork  

in the vineyard : 

Origin
Grapes for the wine originate from vineyards in the Walker Bay, Villiersdorp, Franschhoek and Paarl areas.

Vintage
The season started with a good winter, with high water levels in the soil and in dams. This resulted in good budding, approximately two weeks later than normal. In some areas, wind caused damage during November. The highest average December temperature in 48 years was recorded – no serious damage was caused though. Closer to harvest-time, night temperatures were noticeably lower, which probably contributed to high natural acids, promoting quality. On 9 February harvesting was interrupted by rain, but without serious effects. Wines are full bodied, with good intensity and high natural acids. 

Viticulture
Each vineyard grows in its own macro climate in a wide variety of soil types. Several clones are represented. All the vineyards are trellised according to the Perold system and managed to maintain a perfect balance between leaf coverage and yield. Thanks to the different terroirs, each region produces its own distinctive grapes, so grapes from each region make a unique contribution to fl avour and structure.

in the cellar : 

Grapes for the wine consist of Merlot (57%), Cabernet Franc (24%), Malbec (9%), Petit Verdot (7%) and Cabernet Sauvignon (3%). Before and after destalking, all the grapes were handsorted. The de-stalked berries were inoculated with yeast immediately.

Fermentation was at between 25 and 30 degrees Celsius while the wine was pumped over. After fermentation the wine was left on the lees for a further 20 days in order to enhance extraction and body. Malolactic fermentation was partly in barrels.

Maturation:
The different components were matured separately for 14 months in old 225-litre French oak barrels. Then blending and fi ltration followed. In September 2014, 25 080 cartons (6 x 750 ml) were bottled, to be released as 2013 La Motte Millennium.

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