KWV The Mentors Petit Verdot 2012

This is a concentrated red wine with aromas of pencil shavings, flowers and herbs, and subtle nuances of mocha and sweet spice. The palate is rich and juicy with upfront fruit sweetness. The angular tannin structure is well integrated and complements the intense, lingering finish. Winemaker's Comments: With this wine we pay tribute to one of South Africa’s greatest red grape varietals (always the bridesmaid, never the bride) commonly used in blends where it contributes structure, colour and intensity.

Consider rich cuts of red meat, well-aged cheese or wild game as a food partner to this richly concentrated wine.

variety : Petit Verdot [ 100% Petit Verdot ]

winery : The Mentors

winemaker : The Winemaking Team

wine of origin : Stellenbosch

analysis : alc : 13.98 % vol rs : 2.86 g/l pH : 3.59 ta : 5.8 g/l

type : Red body : Full wooded

pack : Bottle size : 0 closure : Cork

AWARDS

2015 Concours Mondial de Bruxelles - Silver

ageing : This wine is ready to be enjoyed now, but will cellar well over the next eight to ten years.br /

Petit Verdot is on one of the classic Bordeaux varieties. It ripens very late so in a cool region like Bordeaux it often fails to reach optimum maturity. It has attracted many winemakers in the New World because in warmer climates it adds a dimension of tannin, colour and flavour to blends. It is not recognized as a variety that stands alone, because it can lack finesse and fruit sweetness. After the first edition of this wine in 2011, this is the second year we have released a Petit Verdot. We find that Stellenbosch produces sufficient generosity and structure to allow the wine to shine by itself. We are careful in handling it whilst on skins and chose to ferment using whole berries, with very gentle cap management techniques.

in the vineyard : The winter preceding the 2012 vintage was characterized by far lower than average rainfall. This trend continued into the summer, resulting in vineyards showing signs of lower soil moisture by way of the reduced berry size and bunch weight. A cooler ripening season with even temperatures led to steady and measured ripening of the grapes. Overall, the smaller berry size and lower yields promise great concentration, good quality and intense colour in the 2012 vintage wines.

about the harvest: Yield: 8tons/ha

in the cellar :

Grapes were harvested optimally ripe and hand sorted in the cellar to ensure only the best fruit is used for fermentation. After two days of cold maceration the juice was inoculated with a selected yeast strain. Alcoholic fermentation lasted approximately six days and during this time was pumped over every five hours. Wine was racked off the skins, settled and transferred to barrels where malolactic fermentation took place for three weeks. The wine was then racked and cleaned, and returned to barrels. After 12 months the best wines were selected to mature for an additional six months. In total during the 18-month maturation period the wine was racked twice. This wine is truly about selecting the best-of-the-best.

Maturation: The wine was matured for 18 months in French oak barrels of which 70% was first-fill.
Total production: 2 540L
Bottling date: January 2014

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