Kleine Zalze Cellar Selection Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2015

The three different varieties were carefully blended to highlight the ripe dark plum Cabernet fruit on the nose and palate with Merlot contributing savoury characters and velvety tannins on the palate.


variety : Cabernet Sauvignon [ 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 38% Merlot, 2% Cabernet Franc ]
winemaker : RJ Botha
wine of origin : Coastal Region
analysis : alc : 14.0 % vol  rs : 2.6 g/l  pH : 3.51  ta : 5.5 g/l  
type : Red  style : Dry  taste : Fruity   wooded
pack : Bottle  size : 750ml  closure : Screwcap  

ageing : This is an elegant wine that has great depth of flavour and with its great balance and wood integration this wine should age gracefully for many years to come.

in the vineyard : The majority of the grapes for this wine are from established vineyards in the Stellenbosch region, supplemented by selected parcels of vineyards from Durbanville and Paarl. The relatively wet winter season meant that no supplementary irrigation was needed and a good balance of fruit concentration and elegance was achieved with very little intervention. Moderate day-time and cool night-time temperatures during the ripening period meant that we had very good flavour development in the fruit prior harvest.

about the harvest: Individual parcels were picked in the early morning between sugar levels ranging from 23.5° and 25° balling.

in the cellar : The grapes were de-stemmed only and not crushed therefore were fermented “whole-berry”. The Cabernet Sauvignon grapes were fermented in open fermenters and regularly punched-down for optimum colour and tannin extraction. The Merlot and Cabernet Franc grapes were pumped over, every four hours, for optimum skin and flavour extraction. After fermentation, extended skin contact was given and only the free-run juice was used. Each wine was matured for 14 months in 30% second and 70% third fill French oak barrels before final blending and bottling.

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