Dombeya Merlot 2008

Winemaker's comment:
Merlot stays a tricky variety to work with in SA, but even though this is the case I still love this variety. We harvest the blocks according to the stress shown by the leaves. By doing this we are able to put the finest wine in the bottle and therefore in a short period have proved to be respectable Merlot producer.

Tasting note:
This wine is on first impression quite opulent with flavours of black cherries, ripe plums and hints of cassis. The palate is smooth with fine tannins and lingering fruity concentrated aftertaste. Decanting is advised. 

This would go well with venison, beef, cheese and even a well matured cigar. Decanting is advised.

variety : Merlot [ 100% Merlot ]
winemaker : Rianie Strydom
wine of origin : Coastal
analysis : alc : 14.9 % vol  rs : 3.6 g/l  pH : 3.52  ta : 5.6 g/l  va : 0.59 g/l  
type : Red  style : Dry   wooded
pack : Bottle  closure : Cork  

in the vineyard : Soil and Terroir:
All of the vineyards are on North facing slopes. The soils consist of rocky clay of 10 - 15%, which gives good water retention ability. Supplementary irrigation was used sparingly and on a needs basis during the growing season.

about the harvest: All the grapes were harvested by hand. Due to the diversity of our soils we harvest parts of the vineyards at different times. We might pick some at the beginning of February and the balance of the block in the middle of March when this part would be ripe.

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Merlot
Merlot
Merlot
Merlot
Merlot
Merlot