Plaisir de Merle Sauvignon Blanc 2016 - DISCONTINUED

Colour: Brilliant with fresh green tinges.
Bouqet: Lovely floral and passion fruit aromas, with hints of green fig and winter melon. The enticing nose carries through to the taste and holds its own all the way.
Taste: Fresh, full and rich with flavours of tropical fruit and nettles in the initial taste. Mouth-filling, fresh tropical flavours of passion fruit, pineapple and the typical varietal green hints lead to a very long and lingering aftertaste.

Enjoy with a variety of light dishes such as a seafood salad, pastas or fish or served chilled on its own.

variety : Sauvignon Blanc [ 100% Sauvignon Blanc ]
winemaker : Niel Bester
wine of origin : Paarl
analysis : alc : 13.50 % vol  rs : 2.2 g/l  pH : 3.27  ta : 6.2 g/l  
type : White  style : Dry  body : Full  
pack : Bottle  size : 750ml  closure : Screwcap  

ageing : This wine will develop for a further 12 to 36 months. It is beautifully aromatic, floral, crisp and fresh to enjoy now.


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, Malbec and Pinot Noir, and an area of only about 80 hectares of prime vineyards has been set aside for the Plaisir de Merle cellar. Winemaker Niel Bester who in 2012 celebrated 20 years as cellar master at Plaisir de Merle, has gained fame in producing classically styled yet accessible wines. He 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.

in the vineyard : Although the 2015 growing season was quite dry and warm, moderate weather conditions during the ripening season provided favourite conditions for the ripening of the Sauvignon Blanc grapes. The Sauvignon Blanc grapes originating from Darling came from 12-year-old vines on the northerly-easterly slopes, in deep red, well drained Oakleaf soils. The dry vintage produced flavours such as passion fruit and tropical fruit, while the grapes from the cooler climate provided the more traditional greener characters. The result is a full spectrum of flavours, tropical aromas, passion fruit, melon and some green fig

Viticulturist: Freddie le Roux

about the harvest: The grapes were harvested by hand at between 23.2° and 23.9° Balling in February.

in the cellar : A limited period of skin contact (virtually nothing to a maximum of four hours) with the must being settled at 4°C and kept on the fine settling lees for three days to enrich the wine with the typical varietal flavours. The juice was fermented in stainless steel tanks at between 13 - 18°C for 21 to 22 days. The wine was left on the lees for another two months and received no wood contact.

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