Du Toitskloof Merlot

ageing : 

Enjoy now or drink within three years of bottling.

Du Toitskloof Wines has exclusive access to a vast number of vineyards varying in grape variety as well as soil profile, aspect and micro-climates. These are farmed by our 22 farmer-members, in conjunction with an expert team of viticulturists as well as input from the winemakers responsible for the bottled product.

For the Du Toitskloof Selected Vineyard Series, special parcels of vineyards displaying individual characteristics of excellence and bearing a site-specific character have been selected from which to produce a range of terroir-driven wines of unique terroir expression. During the growing season these vineyards are managed under the guidance of viticulture experts overseeing diligent pruning, suckering and canopy control schedules.

At harvest time, the fruit is vinified in small, individual parcels in a specially built, state-of-the-art harvest-cellar and wine-making facility, ensuring the resulting wines reflect the natural features of their vineyards of origin. Wines requiring wood maturation are aged in French oak barrels selected by the cellar master to assist in complementing the structure and flavour profile of each wine.

The Selected Vineyard Series represents the pinnacle of the diverse range of quality wines offered by Du Toitskloof.

All the grapes for this wine came from within 5 km of the Du Toitskloof cellar. The vines, grafted onto Richter 99 and 110 rootstocks, grow in alluvial soils. Based on soil moisture levels, as measured by neutron hydrometers in the vineyards, controlled irrigation was applied, thereby also ensuring small berries with an excellent skin to fruit ratio, providing an intense colour and flavour spectrum. Leaf canopies were carefully managed to ensure the berries received adequate sunlight. Some 90% of the grapes came from trellised vineyards and the remaining 10% from bush vines.

The grapes were picked when they had reached optimum physiological ripeness.

At the cellar the whole bunches were sorted on a sorting table to ensure only the best berries were used. Unlike in the case of other red cultivars, the bunches were not de-stemmed, but were allowed to ferment whole in a process known as carbonic maceration. The juice was fermented for seven to eight days on the skins at a temperature of between 24° and 25° C. The wine underwent malolactic fermentation and was aged in French oak for 10 months before bottling.