Kleine Zalze Cellar Selection Merlot 2003

Medium bodied wine, with ripe plum and blackberry fruit aromas on the nose that carry through as flavours on the palette. These fruit flavours are complimented by a crisp, well integrated acidity and a smoky, cigar box finish.

This Merlot can be enjoyed with most rich, meat-based dishes such as salami, smoked gammon, chicken liver or duck. Roasted ostrich medallions or rare roasted lamb served with a garlic sauce are highly recommended partners.

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variety : Merlot [ Merlot ]

winery : Kleine Zalze Wines

winemaker : Johan Joubert

wine of origin : Stellenbosch

analysis : alc : 14.0 % vol rs : 3.9 g/l pH : 3.5 ta : 5.3 g/l

type : Red wooded

pack : Bottle

ageing : This wine will comfortably mature for another 5 years.

in the vineyard : These grapes were cultivated and harvested from different blocks on Kleine Zalze. Normally in the late afternoon, a southerly wind blows off the sea and cools the Merlot grapes to ensure optimum ripening conditions. The vineyards were carefully pruned and suckered to ensure that optimum ripened grapes were harvested for the production of the 2003 Merlot Cellar Selection wine.

about the harvest: The grapes were picked early in the morning, destalked and cold soaked at 12Â°C for 3 days.

in the cellar : The juice was fermented dry on the skins, the skins pressed and only 5% of the press juice was blended back into the final blend. Malolactic fermentation then followed with 70% completion in the tank and 30% in 300l French oak barrels. After blending, the wine was matured in second- and third-fill 300L French oak barrels for 11 months.

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