Colour: Light straw with a fine beady mousse.
Bouquet: Delicate yeasty tones, layered with toast and ripe fruit enlivened by a firm mousse and a persistent bead making it particularly attractive.
Taste: A foamy mouth feel and yeasty notes with crisp green apple freshness imparted by the Chardonnay and the Pinot Noir providing the flavours of dark fruit. It has a long lingering mature finish.
Enjoy with exotic seafoods such as oysters, scallops and seafood platters. Stars well on its own when served chilled and will add pleasure and enjoyment to any occasion.
variety : Pinot Noir [ 63% Pinot Noir, 37% Chardonnay ]
winemaker : Niel Bester
wine of origin : Western Cape
analysis : alc : 11.5 % vol rs : 6.4 g/l pH : 3.07 ta : 6.09 g/l
type : Sparkling style : Off Dry
pack : Bottle size : 0 closure : Cork
in the vineyard : Background
Established by the French Huguenots in 1693 on the slopes of the Simonsberg Mountains between Paarl and Franschhoek, Plaisir de Merle is a rare gem. A Distell showpiece, this 974 hectare estate in Simondium, Paarl, has earned international acclaim for its white and red wines. About 400 hectares are planted with a variety of noble grape cultivars such as Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc, Shiraz Malbec and, more recently, Pinot Noir. An area of only about 80 hectares of prime vineyards has been set aside for the Plaisir de Merle cellar. Winemaker Niel Bester who in 2012 celebrates 20 years as cellarmaster at Plaisir de Merle, has gained fame in producing classically styled yet accessible wines. He attributes the success of his wines to being able to work with great fruit coming from a very unique terrain and the invaluable input from his viticulture team.
The vineyards
The diversity of the soils, slopes and elevations is closely linked with the quality of Plaisir de Merle wines. Well-drained weathered granite soils (predominantly Tukulu and Hutton) with good water retention allow for minimal irrigation and most vineyards dry land.
This is the very first vintage of Plaisir de Merle MCC. The Chardonnay grapes were selected by Niel Bester from a single 14-year-old vineyard at Plaisir de Merle situated 325m above sea level on the south-eastern slopes of the Simonsberg. Because the Pinot Noir vines on the farm are still too young, these grapes were sourced from two different 12-year-old trellised vineyards in Stellenbosch, one on the north-eastern slopes of the Helderberg and the other on the southern slopes of the Stellenbosch Mountains, both receiving supplementary drip irrigation.
Viticulturist: Freddie le Roux
in the cellar : This debut release of Plaisir de Merle MCC - an elegant and distinctive Méthode Cap Classique is made in the classic French tradition from two noble varieties, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. It is a blend of 63% Pinot Noir which imparts its distinctive body, flavour and maturity, and 37% Chardonnay for its clean flintiness. After whole bunch pressing with minimal skin contact, the clear grape juice was left to settle before it was pumped into steel tanks for cold fermentation. After the first fermentation and malolactic fermentation were completed, the wine was prepared for secondary fermentation in the bottle.
The wine was left on the lees for approximately two years before the sediment was removed in the traditional process of "remuage" and "dégorgement".
The bottles were then corked and laid down in a cool cellar for another 2 - 4 months.