Plaisir de Merle Shiraz 2008

Colour: Ruby garnet
Bouquet: Aromas of white pepper, floral red berries with a hint of coffee and sweet vanilla oak.
Taste: Full-bodied, dark red fruit, soft-textured, mouth-filling with spicy and smoky oak flavours that linger on the aftertaste.

This wine is an ideal partner to a juicy steak or Osso Bucco.

variety : Shiraz [ 100% Shiraz ]
winemaker : Niel Bester
wine of origin : Paarl
analysis : alc : 14.0 % vol  rs : 2.2 g/l  pH : 3.7  ta : 5.6 g/l  
type : Red  style : Dry  body : Full  taste : Fragrant   wooded
pack : Bottle  closure : Cork  

ageing : The wine is ready to drink now, but it will gain in complexity and character with further cellaring for 3 - 7 years.

in the vineyard : The vineyards
The diversity of the soils, slopes and elevations all add to the quality of Plaisir de Merle fruit. Well-drained weathered granite soils with good water retention allow minimal interference in irrigation with most vineyards being dry land. There are two vineyards that contribute to this wine: the first was planted in 1993 and is situated between 250m and 300m above sea level on the south-eastern slopes of the Simonsberg; the second is five years younger and situated on the lower slopes of the Simonsberg at about 150 m above sea level.

Viticulturist: Hannes van Rensburg

in the cellar : The older vineyard produces wine with loads of spice and white pepper and the younger contributes berry fruit and concentrated plum flavours. The grapes were harvested early March and fermented separately in stainless steel tanks. The juice was pumped over the skins daily to extract colour until fermentation was completed. Upon completion of fermentation the wine was left on the skins for a further four to six days to macerate. The wine was racked and transferred to barrels for further maturation. The wine was matured in a combination of new and second-fill American and French oak for 12 to 16 months.

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