Merlot 2021

TASTING NOTES

Deep dark granite colouring. A layered aroma spectrum greets you on the nose. Beautiful ripe cherry and blackberry fruit becomes evident and is complemented by a fresh eucalyptus/minty aroma. The palate entrance is refreshing and carries the ripe black currant fruit that flows into dark chocolate. The acidity brings tension to the palate that is interwoven with the tannin structure that adds palate weight. Finally, the wine carries just enough oak to compliment the fruit and freshness of the wine.

WINEMAKING NOTES

The fruit was handpicked at optimal phenolic ripeness. All fruit is bunch sorted and fermented with a pure yeast culture. The wine batches are all fermented separately and blended after 12 months. The wines are then barreled again for a good marriage of the different components for an additional 4 months. All these wines were matured in 13 % new French oak barrels to complement rather than add to the final taste.  


VINEYARD NOTES

The Carmen Stevens Merlot 2021 is a blend of fruit from two vineyard blocks grown in the Paarl region. The aim of the vineyards is to ensure the right amount of sunlight and light reaches the bunches for the best fruit expression in the bottle. This is achieved by exposing newly formed bunches from just after the fruit-set to indirect sunlight. The balance between the leaf-canopy and fruit load is of utmost importance for Merlot to ensure good fruit maturity and phenolic ripeness at harvest.


FOOD PAIRING SUGGESTION

The Merlot 2021 will be a beautiful compliment to beef fillet served with a red wine jus plated on a bed of polenta.


AGEING POTENTIAL

The ripe tannin structure and depth of fruit paired with the fresh acidity give this Merlot the potential to age for 4-6 years. With time all the youthful primary aromas and flavors will evolve into more complex secondary notes.


TECHNICAL ANALYSIS

Alc: 14.5%
pH: 3.73
TA: 5.6 g/l
RS: 2.7 g/l