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Peacock Ridge Merlot 2007

Deep, dense and youthful colour with aromas of cassis, cedar wood, smoke and herbal notes. On the palate the Peacock Ridge Merlot has upfront dark black fruit, a touch of mocha, liquorice and tar, balanced by fine yet seductive tannins. A wine with weight, concentration and a long complex finish.

variety : Merlot [ 90% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc ]
winery : Waterkloof
winemaker : Werner Engelbrecht
wine of origin : Western Cape
analysis : 
type : Red  style : Dry  body : Full  taste : Herbaceous   wooded
pack : Bottle  closure : Cork  
in the vineyard : The vineyards producing the Peacock Ridge range of wines are cultivated on the lower slopes of our Waterkloof estate. The estate vineyards are planted at a height of between 200 and 290 metres above sea level on the slopes of the Schaapenberg mountain range in Somerset West. To the south they overlook the broad sweep of False Bay and the Southern Atlantic shoreline about three kilometres away. The soils are of sandstone origin with medium-sized stones, which aid drainage and moisture retention. All the vineyards on Waterkloof are cultivated under dry land conditions, with vines an average age of between 8 - 10 years old. Strong south-easterly winds during the growing season help to control growth and naturally limit yields.

2007 GROWING SEASON
After several dry winters we had very good rains and cold weather throughout the winter period. Spring and early summer were the coolest in years, which is very positive for flavour development on the white wines, and colour and structure on the reds. Due to the heat wave in late January, bunches from the Merlot vineyards formed a lot of raisins. This was due to the loss of moisture during the warm period.

about the harvest: We had to harvest these blocks twice over to ensure that only the bunches unaffected by the heat were picked to make Peacock Ridge.

in the cellar : The Merlot vineyards were harvested towards the end of February at sugar levels of 25° Balling. The grapes were de-stemmed and fermented in stainless steel. A combination of "delestage" and pump-over techniques was used during fermentation to maximise colour and tannin extraction.

The wine spent 15 days on the skins after fermentation to help integrate the tannins and stabilize colour. A gentle pressing was used to separate the skins from the juice. All the wines go through malolactic fermentation in barrel. 10% of the wine was aged in new French barrels, and the rest mainly in third and fourth-fill French barrels for ten months. The wine spent a further six to eight months in bottle before release.

10% of Cabernet Franc was blended into the wine to add more complexity.

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OTHER VINTAGES

Peacock Ridge Merlot 2011
Merlot
Peacock Ridge Merlot 2007
Merlot
Peacock Ridge Merlot 2006
Merlot