in the vineyard : 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 dry land situated on the south-eastern slopes of the Simonsberg. The farm is situated on the east and north-east facing slopes of the Simonsberg Mountain, and is bordered by the towns of Stellenbosch, Franschhoek and Paarl. The grapes were harvested on March 8, 2008 from a single, nine-yearold vineyard, situated about 230m above sea level where high mountain peaks shade the vineyards from the hot, late afternoon sun. This slows down ripening, resulting in wines with a rich fruit complexity.
Viticulturist: Freddie le Roux
in the cellar : The juice was fermented at 25°C and pumped over the skins daily to extract colour, tannins and flavour. Upon completion of fermentation the wine was left on the skins for a further four days. The wine was racked off, transferred to 300-litre new French oak barrels where malolactic fermentation was completed. After another racking the wine stayed in the barrels for a total of 16 months