Muratie Alberta Annemarie Merlot 2010

Intense ruby-coloured wine with pronounced aromas of dark chocolate, black cherries, toasted hazelnuts and an unusual herbal edge. The aromas give way to elegant flavours of black fruits (cherries, blackberries and ripe plums) matched with rich and savoury notes of black olives, liquorice and spicy tannins (cloves and cinnamon sticks). A richly-layered wine with plenty of backbone and structure.

Should be enjoyed now with a fine steak or a salty, matured Cheddar.

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variety : Merlot [ 100% Merlot ]

winery : Muratie Wine Estate

winemaker : Francois Conradie

wine of origin : Western Cape

analysis : alc : 14.23 % vol rs : 2.1 g/l pH : 3.51 ta : 5.8 g/l

type : Red style : Very Dry body : Full wooded

pack : Bottle size : 0 closure : Cork

ageing : Keep it safe for a further five years to drink it at its very best.

in the vineyard : The Story George Paul Canitz and his daughter Annemarie were out horseback riding. Closer to the truth - they were lost. But that’s how they discovered Muratie and fell instantly in love with it. Annemarie shared her father’s love of fine wines (and horses) and when she inherited Muratie, this tireless, independent woman became one of the first female wine-farm owners in the country. She never changed a thing on her father's farm - and rode horses well into her 80s only stopping, she said, "because the horse is too old".

A dense purple colour with cherry, cranberry and a hint of chocolate on the nose, the Alberta Annemarie Merlot pays tribute to this remarkable woman who, like fine wine, got better with age.

The 2009 Muratie Merlot was harvested from three different blocks on the estate. The vines were planted in 1990 and 1992. Two of the blocks are North West facing and the third block faces north. The elevation of the vines is at 280m above sea level.

The Table Mountain sandstone soil provides good moisture to these dry-land vineyards. All the vines are planted on Richter 99 rootstock.

about the harvest: The grapes were handpicked yielding 4½ tons per hectare.

in the cellar : They were then crushed, destalked and pumped into traditional open fermenters. Pump-overs and plunging was done at regular intervals. The wine was matured in French oak barrels (33% new oak) for 12 months.

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