M·A·N Family Wines Shiraz 2011

Skaapveld Shiraz
Skaapveld refers to the grazing land for sheep that adjoins many of the Shiraz vineyards in our region. Whether the sheep have any effect on the wine is open to debate, but they add a lively encouragement during harvest time.

A distinctive wine: juicy and complex with well-rounded and lingering flavours. Deep claret in colour, the bouquet is aromatic with gamey and liquorice aromas. The palate has mouth-filling blackcurrant and plum flavours with finely integrated tannins.

This layered, medium to full-bodied Shiraz will complement slow-cooked casseroles, game and barbequed foods. Serve at a cool room temperature.

variety : Shiraz [ Shiraz 85%, Mourvèdre 14%, Viognier 1% ]
winery : MAN Family Wines
winemaker : Michelle Rhodes
wine of origin : Coastal Region
analysis : alc : 14.0 % vol  rs : 4.2 g/l  pH : 3.44  ta : 6.0 g/l  
type : Red  style : Dry  body : Medium   wooded
pack : Bottle  size : 0  closure : Screwcap  

in the vineyard : 
Sourced from bush-vine and trellised vineyards in the Agter-Paarl region. Shiraz thrives in the Malmesbury Shale soils typical of our region: the unirrigated vineyards naturally reduce yields and produce smaller bunches to make wines with concentrated flavours and aromas.

The 2011 vintage in the Agter-Paarl region was a very good vintage for both red and white wines. With dry weather and little rain throughout the growing season, the vines remained healthy and ripened their fruit easily.

Overall the whites were very aromatic and showed typical varietal characteristics. Reds were full-bodied with soft tannins.

about the harvest: The grapes were hand-harvested at optimum ripeness and given a two day cold maceration. The warm and dry growing season, combined with late summer heat waves, resulted in a high quality harvest with small berries and concentrated flavours.

in the cellar : Fermentation took place over 5 days in stainless steel tanks with regular pump-overs. The Shiraz grapes were co-fermented with a small portion of Viognier grapes (1%) to lift the aromatics of the wine and soften the tannins. About 14% of low-yielding Mourvèdre was also blended in to add sweet spice and dried fruit notes. Just before dryness, the wine was pressed and put back into tank for malo-lactic fermentation. 100% of the wine was matured in 225L American oak barrels (8% new) for 14 months. Fined and filtered before bottling.

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Shiraz
Shiraz