Plaisir de Merle Cabernet Franc 2015

Colour: Bright ruby.
Bouuet: Aromatic nose with fragrant sweet wood notes, violets and hints of red berries.
Taste: Raspberry with hints of black currant and sweet vanilla oak flavours

Note: Available only at the Plaisir de Merle Brand Home

Very versatile, this wine would compliment all red meat dishes from peppered fillet to a hearty ragout and roast pork.

variety : Cabernet Franc [ 100% Cabernet Franc ]
winemaker : Niel Bester
wine of origin : Paarl
analysis : alc : 13.91 % vol  rs : 2.0 g/l  pH : 3.57  ta : 6.2 g/l  
type : Red  body : Full  taste : Fruity   wooded
pack : Bottle  size : 750ml  closure : Cork  

ageing : Ready to drink now but will gain further complexity if left to age for a further 5 to 8 years.

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, and an area of only about 80 hectares of prime vineyards has been set aside for the Plaisir de Merle cellar. Winemaker 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.

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 with good water retention allow minimal interference in irrigation with most vineyards dry land.

Situated on the east and north-east facing slopes of the Simonsberg Mountain, the grapes were harvested on the 19 February 2015 from a single, 17 year old vineyard, situated about 230 m 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

about the harvest: The grapes were crushed at 24.5 degrees balling.

in the cellar : The juice was fermented at 24° 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 week. The young wine was racked off the skins and transferred to 300-litre French oak barrels where malolactic fermentation was completed. After another racking the wine was matured in the barrels for a further 16 months.

find our wines in :

OTHER VINTAGES

Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc