Landskroon Paul de Villiers Merlot 2012

Rich and full-bodied with a delicious flavour of berry fruits and a undertow of dark chocolate. An excellent balance of finely structured tannins, brooding dark fruit, freshness and length of aftertaste.

Comfortable with the roasted meats, real gravy and traditional accompaniments as it is with a cut off the coals or a platter of charcuterie and artisanal cheeses. Serve at 16 - 19°C.

variety : Merlot [ 100% Merlot ]
winery : Landskroon Wines
winemaker : Abraham van Heerden
wine of origin : Paarl
analysis : alc : 14.0 % vol  rs : 2.90 g/l  pH : 3.55  ta : 5.60 g/l  
type : Red  style : Dry  body : Full   wooded
pack : Bottle  size : 750ml  closure : Cork  

AWARDS

2015 Platter Wine Guide - 4 Stars
2014 Veritas Awards - Gold
2014 Michelangelo International Awards – Silver

ageing : 5 – 6 years of careful cellaring will promote added complexity.

Landskroon (established 1692) is situated in the heart of the Cape Winelands of South Africa. The vineyard comprises approximately 200 hectares and is owned by the families of brothers Paul and Hugo de Villiers, direct descendants of the French Huguenots who settled at the Cape during the late 17th Century.

in the vineyard :  Landskroon (established 1692) is situated in the heart of the Cape Winelands of South Africa. The vineyard comprises approximately 200 hectares and is owned by the families of brothers Paul and Hugo de Villiers, direct descendants of the French Huguenots who settled at the Cape during the late 17th Century.

Origin: Paarl, Coastal Region

Climate: Winter Rainfall approximately 600mm per annum. The estate is situated along the south western slopes of Paarl Mountain at an altitude of between 140 and 250 meters and benefits from cooling summer breezes from the Atlantic Ocean.

Irrigation: Limited irrigation of between 50 and 100mm is applied during drier summers in order to allow for optimum development and ripening of grapes.

Soils: Vary from decomposed granites to well drained sandy loam with gravel underlays.

about the harvest: 

Grapes were harvested at 25ºB. 

Age of Vines: 5 - 14 years
Clones: MO 346, MO 348A
Rootstock: R99
Vines per hectare: 3000
Soil: Sandy loam and decomposed granite
Trellising: Bush vines and cordon trellised
Yield: 7 – 8 tons per hectare

in the cellar :  After harvest, the grapes were destemmed and transferred to both open and closed stainless steel fermentation tanks. After the addition of selected yeast, the juice, together with the skins, were allowed to ferment at controlled temperatures of 25° C - 28° C. During fermentation, skins that tend to rise to the top were regularly pushed down to cool the cap and to optimise flavour and colour extraction. At 5° B, juice was drained from the skins and fermentation allowed to continue in closed tanks. Any juice remaining in the skins were recovered with the use of a gentle tank press. After allowing for malolactic fermentation the wine was racked from the lees and transferred to 225 L oak barrels for maturation.

Coopers: Sylvain

Barrel maturation: 16 months
Type of Wood: 40% New French oak, 30% 2nd fill French oak, 30% 3rd fill French oak.  
Bottling date: 08 august 2013

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