Plaisir de Merle Malbec 2015

Colour: Vibrant red.
Bouquet: Red fruit, floral notes and hints of vanilla
Taste: Black cherries and plums blend seamlessly with sweet vanilla, soft tannins and a creamy finish.

Note: Available only at the Plaisir de Merle Brand Home

This versatile wine will pair well with spicy Mexican, Cajun, Indian or Italian fare (especially with tomato-based sauces). Enjoyable too with semi-hard cheeses, barbecue foods, chilli and sausage.

variety : Malbec [ 100% Malbec ]

winery : Plaisir Wine Estate

winemaker : Niel Bester

wine of origin : Paarl

analysis : alc : 13.64 % vol rs : 1.6 g/l pH : 3.51 ta : 5.8 g/l

type : Red body : Full taste : Fruity wooded

pack : Bottle size : 750ml closure : Cork

ageing : Although very drinkable, this wine will benefit from further ageing for another three to five years

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 : The diversity of the soils, slopes and elevations is closely linked with the quality of Plaisir de Merle wines. Well-drained weathered granite soils (predominantly Tukulu and Hutton) with good water retention allow minimal irrigation with most vineyards being dry-land and situated on the south-eastern slopes of the Simonsberg.

Viticulturist: Freddie le Roux

about the harvest: The grapes were hand harvested on 24 February from a single, 17 year old vineyard situated about 270 m above sea at 24.3° Balling.

in the cellar : The grapes were destalked and crushed into a small stainless steel fermenter. The juice was pumped over the skins at regular intervals to extract colour, flavour and tannins. Malolactic fermentation took place in 300-litre new and second-fill French oak barrels. After racking the wine off the lees it was returned to the barrels for a total period of 16 months.

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