Lanzerac Merlot 2012

Name: Lanzerac Merlot 2012
Brand: Lanzerac
SKU: 35562

The 2012 Merlot has an excellent deep red colour with ripe red berries, cocoa, slight mint and chocolate on the nose. On the palate the wine shows a good balance and tannin structure, rich body with fruit and a lingering aftertaste.

Tomato-based Italian dishes; Caramelised roast vegetables; Mild to medium hard cheese; Crispy duck pancakes; Rabbit Casserole with apricots and prunes.

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variety : Merlot [ 100% Merlot ]

winery : Lanzerac Wine Estate

winemaker : Wynand Lategan

wine of origin : Stellenbosch

analysis : alc : 14.30 % vol rs : 2.9 g/l pH : 3.53 ta : 6.0 g/l

type : Red style : Dry body : Full wooded

pack : Bottle size : 750ml closure : Cork

ageing : Drink now until 2017

in the vineyard : The Lanzerac Merlot 2012 was sourced from two different vineyard blocks, D6A and D6B from Lanzerac in the Jonkershoek Valley. Both blocks were 18 years old in 2012 and covers an area of 4.32 hectares. The 2 blocks have an altitude of 165-320m above sea level with mainly deep red decomposed granite soils.

about the harvest: Middle to late February. All pruning and harvesting is done by hand to ensure that only healthy and fully ripe grapes reach the cellar. The yield for the 2012 vintage was 4.58 tons/ha.

in the cellar : Upon arrival at the cellar the grape bunches are hand sorted then destemmed. The loose berries undergo a further hand sorting before it is lightly crushed. Fermentation took place in stainless steel tanks. Regular pump-overs (twice a day) are done to extract colour and flavour. The Merlot was fermented dry on the skins before pressing. The free run wine was kept apart from the press fraction. A part of the Merlot wine underwent MLF in barrels, while the rest completed MLF in tank. A Selection of new, 2nd fill and 3rd fill French oak barrels were used to mature the Merlot for 12 months. Regular racking resulted in excellent integration between wood, fruit and tannins.

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