Colour: Vibrant red.
Bouquet: Spice and cherries on the nose.
Taste: Red berry fruit on the palate with a creamy oak finish. Soft tannins ensure drinkability.
This wine is adaptable enough to stand up to spicy Mexican, Cajun, Indian or Italian fare (especially with tomato-based sauces). Also goes well with semi-hard cheeses and should work well with barbecue foods, chilli and sausage.
in the vineyard : Background
Established by the French Huguenots in 1693 on the slopes
of the Simonsberg Mountains between Paarl and
Franschhoek, Plaisir de Merle is a rare gem.
A Distell showpiece, this 974 hectare estate in Simondium,
Paarl, has earned international acclaim for its white and red
wines. About 400 hectares are planted with a variety of noble
grape cultivars such as Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc,
Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Cabernet Franc,
Shiraz and Malbec. An area of only about 80 hectares of
prime vineyards has been set aside for the Plaisir de Merle
cellar. Cellarmaster Niel Bester attributes the success of his
wines to being able to work with great fruit coming from a
very unique terrain and the invaluable input from his
viticulture team.
The vineyards
The diversity of the soils, slopes and elevations is closely
linked with the quality of Plaisir de Merle wines. Well-drained
weathered granite soils (predominantly Tukulu and Hutton)
with good water retention allow minimal irrigation with most
vineyards being dry-land and situated on the south-eastern
slopes of the Simonsberg.
Viticulturist: Freddie le Roux
in the cellar : The grapes were destalked and crushed into a small
stainless steel fermenter. The juice was pumped over the
skins at regular intervals to extract colour, flavour and
tannins. Malolactic fermentation took place in 300-litre new
and second-fill French oak barrels. After racking the wine of
the lees it was returned to the barrels for a total period of 16
months.