Meerendal Merlot

The wine has a dark red colour and shows an abundance of red and dark fruit such as, cherries, raspberries, plumbs and an undertone of tomato leaf and dark chocolate. The elegant tannins of the wine are supported by the use of 20% new oak.Meerendal has a Mediterranean climate with warm, dry, summers with a unique pattern of cool winds. Winters are cold and wet with an annual rainfall on the estate of a 780mm.Grapes are handpicked at 24.5 °Balling from a yield of 8 Ton/Ha. These grapes are sourced from the Meerendal farm and this block brings a combination of dark fruit and light red fruit characters to the wine. Fermentation takes place in traditional open concrete tanks; each tank can hold 5 tons of grapes. Punch downs takes place 6 times daily and they are all done manually by the cellar staff. This Merlot is matured for 13 months in 225L French oak barrels (20% new and 80% second/third fill).