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Oak Valley Merlot / Cabernet Sauvignon Blend 2008

Full bodied with beautiful ripe red fruit flavours of mulberries, dark cherries balanced by excellent freshness due to natural acidity, soft and elegant tannins. Minty herbal note from the Cabernet Franc adds a lovely layer of complexity. Made in a classical Bordeaux style, this is a serious wine that is built to last.

variety : Merlot [ 47% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Franc, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon ]
winery : Oak Valley
winemaker : Pieter Visser
wine of origin : Elgin
analysis : alc : 14.0 % vol  rs : 3.0 g/l  pH : 3.72  ta : 5.3 g/l  va : 0.61 g/l  
type : Red  style : Dry  body : Medium   wooded
pack : Bottle  size : 750ml  closure : Cork  

ageing : Cellaring potential of 10+ years.
in the vineyard : 

Yields in the mountain are ultra-low; Merlot averages 4 tonnes p/ha while the lower lying Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon yield above 6 tonnes p/ha. Canopy is opened in the bunch zone a week before harvest to avoid green flavours.

Aspect: South-west and north facing slopes
Elevation: 350-580m
Soil type: Medium texture gravelly soils with structured clay layer
Cultivar: Merlot (40%), Cabernet Franc (47%), Cabernet Sauvignon (13%)
Rootstock: R99, R110, Ruggeri 140
Planting date: 2000-2005
Ha planted: 11.76 ha
Average tonnage: 4-6 tonnes p/ha
Irrigation: Drip irrigation, post-harvest irrigation mostly
Trellising: Extended Perold
Vines per ha: 2564-3333 vines/ha
about the harvest: Grapes are harvested from three different sites, the valley vineyard, a north facing slope and south facing mountain vineyard.
in the cellar : In the cellar, berries are individually hand sorted before cold maceration ensues for 5 days at 8°C. Cultivated yeast is added and fermentation occurs between 26-30°C. Three pumpovers and several punchdowns per day ensures gentle extraction of flavours from the skins. After fermentation, the wine undergoes another period of skin contact before pressing. Malolactic fermentation occurs in tank then the wine is matured for 18 months in 70% new French oak and the remainder 2nd fill.
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