Plaisir de Merle Grand Plaisir 2010

Colour: Intense dark red
Bouquet: Aromatic red berries, mulberry and plums, cedar and subtle vanilla aromas.
Taste: Rich dark chocolate, blackcurrant and a variety of red berries. Firm tannins, well-integrated oak leading to a full-bodied wine with hints of tobacco and cedar

Serve with grilled meats or pot-roasts.

variety : Cabernet Sauvignon [ 29% Cabernet Sauvignon, 21% Petit Verdot, 21% Malbec, 21% Cabernet Franc, 21% Shiraz, 8% Merlot ]
winemaker : Niel Bester
wine of origin : Paarl
analysis : alc : 14.44 % vol  rs : 1.7 g/l  pH : 3.57  ta : 5.9 g/l  
type : Red  style : Dry  body : Full  taste : Fragrant   wooded
pack : Bottle  size : 750ml  closure : Cork  

ageing : The tannins are ripe and accessible with a soft finish, but will provide structure for an ageing period of 7 to 12 years in the bottle. The different wines in the final blend were purposefully selected to provide different layers of flavour to increase the complexity of the wine.

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 and Malbec, and an area of only about 80 hectares of prime vineyards has been set aside for the Plaisir de Merle cellar. Winemaker Niel Bester 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 : Grapes were sourced from the Plaisir de Merle vineyards in Simondium. The vines, ranging in age from 12 to 19 years, are situated between 130m and 350m above sea-level on the south-eastern slopes of the Simonsberg

Viticulturist Freddie le Roux

about the harvest: The grapes were harvested in February and March between 24.4 ° and 25.5° Balling.

in the cellar : The grapes were fermented in small stainless steel tanks at 24° C for 5 - 14 days. The juice was pumped over the skins daily to extract colour, tannins and flavour. Upon completion of fermentation the wine was left on the skins for a further 8 to 10 days. The wine was racked and malolactic fermentation was completed in the barrels. Matured in new 300-litre French oak barrels for 16 months, great care went into the selection of individual barrels to create this unique wine. After blending, the wine was fined and racked off the lees before bottling.

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OTHER VINTAGES

Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon
Cabernet Sauvignon