Plaisir de Merle Shiraz 2015

Name: Plaisir de Merle Shiraz 2015
Brand: Plaisir de Merle
SKU: 41884

Color: Dark uby
Bouquet: Ripe plum fruit, violets and pepper spice.
Taste: Full-bodied wine with upfront sweet, ripe dark red fruit, elegant and softtextured. It’s mouth-filling with spicy and smoky oak flavours that linger on the aftertaste

Note: Available only at the Plaisir de Merle Brand Home

This wine is an ideal partner to a juicy steak or Osso Bucco.

variety : Shiraz [ 100% Shiraz ]

winery : Plaisir Wine Estate

winemaker : Niel Bester

wine of origin : Paarl

analysis : alc : 14.62 % vol rs : 2.4 g/l pH : 3.69 ta : 5.4 g/l

type : Red style : Dry body : Full taste : Fragrant wooded

pack : Bottle size : 750ml closure : Cork

ageing : Although the wine is ready to enjoy now it will gain in complexity and character with further cellaring for 3 to 7 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 all add to the quality of Plaisir de Merle fruit. Well-drained weathered granite soils (predominantly Tukulu and Hutton) with good water retention allow minimal interference in irrigation with most vineyards being dry land. There are two vineyards that contribute to this wine: the first was planted in 1993 and is situated between 250 m and 300m above sea level on the south-eastern slopes of the Simonsberg; the second is five years younger and situated on the lower slopes of the Simonsberg at about 150 m above sea level.

Viticulturist: Freddie le Roux

about the harvest: Grapes were handpicked at 24.2° and 24.8° Balling.

in the cellar : The older vineyard produces wine with loads of spice and white pepper and the younger contributes berry fruit and concentrated plum flavours. After destemming and crushing, it was fermented on the skins for 8 and 9 days respectively. Juice was pumped over the skins to extract flavour, tannins and colour. The wine was left in contact with the skins for 5 days after fermentation was completed. The wine was transferred to barrels to complete malolactic fermentation, then racked and returned to French and American oak barrels for a period of 14 - 18 months. The wine was then blended, filtered and bottled.

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