De Grendel Merlot 2014

ageing : 5 Years

The De Grendel vineyards are situated 7 kilometers from the Atlantic Ocean, growing on slopes 200 meters above sea level. The vines are 7-10 years old and yield crops of 5-7 tons per hectare (off 2 300 vines).

Soil type: Hutton - Oak leaf.

Vintage
The 2014 growing season will be remembered for consecutive rain showers around every fortnight. Due to this good water reserve in the soil the growth was quite substantial, which in return was responsible for the extra work in the vineyards in the form of leaf and shoot plugging. The 2014 crop was on average 20% higher in the Coastal region due to the good rain showers and a lack of wind in the flowering period. From veraison onwards it was a normal ripening year with short heat spikes, but luckily due to our proximity to the ocean playing a moderate role, it ended up being a well-balanced vintage.

Only handpicked fruit was destalked and inoculated in an upright stainless steel tank. To ensure soft ripe tannins, the fermenting red was transferred four times over the skin cap for 1 hour periods – a method referred to as ‘aerated pump over’.

After sufficient extraction a pneumatic press was used to press the skins at 0.9 bar. Three racking’s ensured good clarity. Maturation took place in French oak for thirteen months. The French oak used for maturation was a third new oak, a third 2nd fill barrels and a third 3rd fill barrels.