variety : Merlot [ 100% Merlot ]
winemaker : Boland Winemaking Team
wine of origin : Western Cape
analysis : alc : . % vol rs : . g/l pH : .
type : Red body : Full wooded
pack : Bottle size : 0 closure : Cork
in the vineyard : History & Vineyards
More than sixty years' experience has enabled us to identify single vineyards of exceptional potential in the area bordered to the North by Stellenbosch, Wellington in the North-East, the mountains of Franschoek and Drakenstein to the South-East and Durbanville & Philadelphia in the South and South-West.
When Boland Wine Cellar identified an opportunity to create "single vineyard" wines, they made an additional investment in the cellar setup in order to separately and appropriately vinify smaller parcels of grapes.
On the plains between Paarl Mountain and Paardeberg, almost on the foothills of the latter, is an area where in the late afternoon, cooling breezes from Table Bay work in perfect synergy with the deep, moisture retaining soils. Planted in the late 1990s, the vines love the well-aerated Tukulu soils, that allow the roots to grow deep and strong. Given the soil type and an inherent buffer capacity against drought, this bush-vine vineyard receives no supplementary irrigation. Specialised canopy management offers the berries sufficient protection from the sun while green harvesting helps to control production, preserving the delicate flavours in the smaller, more concentrated fruit.
in the cellar : The grapes were de-stemmed, crushed and cold macerated for 2 days at 10° - 12° C. Alcoholic fermentation was allowed to start spontaneously using the wild yeast on the skins of the grapes. This makes for a more natural, less manipulated wine that expresses the season and the terrior as specifically as possible, Fermentation temperature fluctuate between 15° - 25° C. We use macro oxidation techniques (emulating manual punch downs of the cap) and regular pump-overs to extract colour and fruit while extended maceration for a further 5 - 8 days after fermentation is allowed. Only limited percentage of the wine underwent malolactic barrel fermentation, but the full component was transferred to predominantly 2nd fill French oak barrels for 12 - 16 months' additional maturation.