Plaisir de Merle Malbec 2008

Colour: Vibrant red.
Bouquet: Spice and cherries on the nose.
Taste: Red berry fruit on the palate with a creamy oak finish. Soft tannins ensure drinkability.

This wine is adaptable enough to stand up to spicy Mexican, Cajun, Indian or Italian fare (especially with tomato-based sauces). Also goes well with semi-hard cheeses and should work well with barbecue foods, chilli and sausage.

variety : Malbec [ 100% Malbec ]

winery : Plaisir Wine Estate

winemaker : Niel Bester

wine of origin : Paarl

analysis : alc : 14.2 % vol rs : 2.5 g/l pH : 3.59 ta : 5.4 g/l

type : Red style : Dry wooded

pack : Bottle closure : Cork

AWARDS

Malbec International Competition 2011 - Gold & Special Prize for best wine of the Southern Hemisphere

ageing : Although very drinkable, this wine will benefit from further ageing for another three to five years.

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. Cellarmaster Niel Bester attributes the success of his wines to being able to work with great fruit coming from a very unique terrain and the invaluable 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 (predominantly Tukulu and Hutton) with good water retention allow minimal irrigation with most vineyards being dry-land and situated on the south-eastern slopes of the Simonsberg. Viticulturist: Freddie le Roux

about the harvest: The grapes were harvested from a single, 10 year old vineyard situated about 270 m above sea at 24.5° Balling.

in the cellar : The grapes were destalked and crushed into a small stainless steel fermenter. The juice was pumped over the skins at regular intervals to extract colour, flavour and tannins. Malolactic fermentation took place in 300-litre new and second-fill French oak barrels. After racking the wine of the lees it was returned to the barrels for a total period of 16 months.

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