Plaisir de Merle Merlot 2007

Colour: Ruby.
Bouquet: Teeming with violets, strawberries, blackberries and blackcurrant and a hint of mint.
Taste: Medium to full-bodied with a soft and velvety palate laced with ripe fruit and supported by vanilla oak flavours.

Made to compliment most food dishes, this Merlot will especially compliment venison, pot roasts and other lightly spiced meat dishes.

variety : Merlot [ 100% Merlot ]
winemaker : Niel Bester
wine of origin : Coastal
analysis : alc : 14.2 % vol  rs : 1.9 g/l  pH : 3.43  ta : 6.4 g/l  
type : Red  style : Dry   wooded
pack : Bottle  closure : Cork  

ageing : Accessible now, this wine has good maturing potential for three to five years.

in the vineyard : 

Background
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. Winemaker Niel Bester attributes the benefits of working with great fruit coming from a very unique terrain and the invaluable input from his viticulture team.

The vineyards
The diversity of the soils, slopes and elevations is closely linked with the quality of Plaisir de Merle wines. Well-drained weathered granite soils with good water retention allow minimal irrigation with most vineyards dry land. The grapes were harvested from two vineyards, eight and 23 years old. Both are situated between 300m and 370m above sea level on the south-eastern slopes of the Simonsberg. The result is a combination of floral notes and minerality from the granite evident in every glass.

Viticulturist: Freddie le Roux

about the harvest: The grapes were harvested at the beginning of February between 24.3° and 25.8° Balling.

in the cellar : After harvesting the grapes were fermented in stainless steel tanks at 26°C for seven days. The juice was pumped over the skins daily until dry. Upon completion of fermentation the wine was left on the skins for eight days to macerate. The wine was racked off and malolactic fermentation was completed in the tanks and barrels.

The wine was matured in 20% new, 40% second-fill and 40% third-fill French oak barrels for periods ranging from 11 to 16 months. Finally all the individual barrels were tasted and evaluated to select the final blend.

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