Ridgeback Journey 2013

Intense mulberry, plum and pepper spice with a hint of mint evolves to notes of Christmas cake and leather. The rich, juicy midpalate runs seamlessly onto a long, mineral finish.


variety : Merlot [ 16% Cabernet Franc, 35% Merlot, 27% Cabernet Sauvignon, 22% Petit Verdot ]
winery : Ridgeback Wines
winemaker : Toit Wessels
wine of origin : Paarl
analysis : alc : 14.0 % vol  rs : 2.0 g/l  pH : 3.69  ta : 5.82 g/l  
type : Red  style : Dry  taste : Fruity   wooded
pack : Bottle  size : 0  closure : Cork  

in the vineyard : The 4 cultivars used in our Journey blend were harvested at optimal ripeness at various stages during the period of 24 February to 27 March 2012. The generous attention given to all component vineyards which included leaf plucking, narrow canopies and bunch trimming ensured optimally ripe fruit tannin and full berry flavour.

in the cellar : All of the above were destemmed without excessive crushing and all unwanted stalks removed on the sorting table. The wholeberry component in the open stainless steel fermenters was at 60%. After 12 hours of cold soaking each of the musts were inoculated with a commercial yeast strain best suited to the specific variety. Pump overs were given twice to three times daily to extract colour, tannin and flavour. Each tank also received a rack and return. Fermentation for each of the cultivars ran at 24-28 degrees Celsius and lasted for 5- 7 days. Thereafter the wine was gently pressed and free run was consolidated with press fractions. The wine was gravity fed to second and third fill French oak barrels for secondary malo-lactic fermentation. Maturation in 225litre French oak barrels lasted for 13 months. The specially selected barrels for all 4 varieties were then blended and lightly filtered prior to bottling.

find our wines in :

OTHER VINTAGES

Merlot
Merlot
Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc
Merlot
Merlot