in the vineyard :
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 minimal irrigation with most vineyards dry land situated on the south-eastern slopes of the Simonsberg.
Situated on the east and northeast facing slopes of the Simonsberg Mountain, Plaisir de Merle is bordered by the towns of Stellenbosch, Franschhoek and Paarl. The vineyards, between 6 - 21 years of age, are located between 180m and 400m above sea level where high mountain peaks shade the vineyards from the hot, late afternoon sun. This slows down ripening, resulting in wines with a very typically rich fruit complexity and well-ripened tannins.
Viticulturist: Freddie le Roux
in the cellar : The grapes were destalked and fermented in 12 800 and 25 000 litre stainless steel tanks. The juice was pumped over the skins daily to extract colour, tannins and flavour.
Once fermentation was completed, the wine was left on the skins for a further 6 - 11 days to macerate. The wine was racked off the skins and malolactic fermentation was completed, partially in barrels and in tanks. The wine was then racked and transferred to French oak barrels (45% new) to mature for 12 - 16 months. Cellar master, Niel Bester, blended the Cabernet Sauvignon wines from the five different vineyards and then added small percentages of Malbec, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot to complete the final blend.
Total production: 6 500 cases