Elgin Vintners Merlot 2010

Think of the Opera – rich, velvet, elegance, intrigue and a little bit of hedonism all discreetly captured in one bottle.

Clear bright garnet in colour with up front violets, black cherries, black currants, chocolate almonds and a touch of cedar spice on the nose. The refined, rich palate is in perfect harmony with the nose combining fruit intensity, subtle mineral notes and soft tannins. This wine is Eurocentric in style yet manages to proudly reflect the gentle terroir of the cool Elgin region and sensitive handling in the cellar.


variety : Merlot [ Merlot, Malbec ]
winery : Elgin Vintners
winemaker : Martin Meinert
wine of origin : Elgin
analysis : alc : 14.27 % vol  rs : 1.8 g/l  pH : 3.64  ta : 6.0 g/l  
type : Red  style : Dry   wooded
pack : Bottle  size : 750ml  closure : Cork  

The 2010 Elgin Vintners Merlot is our sixth vintage and follows our 2009 Merlot which was awarded a Double Gold Medal at the 2013 Veritas Wine Awards.

in the vineyard : The Malbec (Clone Mc1) was sourced from Wallovale Vineyards.
The bulk of the Merlot grapes were harvested from a single vineyard planted at 400 m above sea level on Eikenhof Farm. The wine also contains a small percentage of Merlot grapes produced on Blauwkrans Farm.

about the harvest: The bulk of the Merlot grapes were harvested from a single vineyard planted at 400m above sea level on Eikenhof Farm.

Malbec harvested on 24th March 2010
Merlot harvested on 31st March 2010

in the cellar : The Merlot grapes were vinified in the traditional manner. The grapes received a cold soak of 5 days at 8° C. The WE372 yeast strain was selected to facilitate fermentation. There was no extended maceration after fermentation. Malo-lactic fermentation was completed in tank. The wine was then transferred to 225 lit French oak barriques in June and August 2010 where it matured for approximately 26 months.

After blending with the Malbec, the wine was polished with a light egg white fining prior to bottling. The only new wood component was from a small percentage of new French oak used on the Malbec.

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Merlot
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