Marianne Merlot 2011

Aromas of lush blue fruit, sweet spice and a little leather. Red and black cherry on the palate, integrated tannin and a little spice on the finish.

We recommend our Merlot alongside a medium rare steak, or marinated lamb and wild herbs.

variety : Merlot [ 100% Merlot ]
winemaker : Ramon Sanchez
wine of origin : Simonsberg-Paarl
analysis : alc : 15.17 % vol  rs : 4.3 g/l  pH : 3.70  ta : 4.9 g/l  
type : Red  body : Full   wooded
pack : Bottle  size : 750ml  closure : Cork  

Our Property: Est. 2004, the Marianne Estate is a 36-hectare boutique wine estate located on the foothills of the Simonsberg Mountain. The estate features 25 hectares of vineyards, Tasting Room & Cellars, Luxury Accommodation and the Floreal Brasserie.

A Tradition of Winemaking: Christian Dauriac, the proprietor of the Marianne Estate, has been making wine in Bordeaux for over 30 years. He currently owns three Chateaux in Bordeaux: Destieux (Grand Cru Classe of Saint-Emilion), Montlisse (Grand Cru) and La Clemence (Pomerol). Christian regularly brings in specialists from France to lend expertise with the winemaking and viticulture.

Terroir: Climate, soil, altitude and slope orientation are essential elements required in capturing as much varietal character as possible. The climate is mild to warm with southern winds, ensuring grapes are cooled to optimum temperature for maximum character and flavour. Soils are predominantly medium textured and an average annual rainfall of 800 mm ensures minimal irrigation.

in the vineyard : Vintage: A good year for yield and quality. A cool start to season, with little rain in November and unrelenting heat from January. Concentrated black grapes, resulting in high ripeness, offset with higher residual sugars, lower acids and softer tannins.

about the harvest: The grapes were handpicked at phenolic ripeness and stored at 10°C to ensure the finest flavour and freshness.

in the cellar : Upon crushing, a temperature of 10°C was maintained and both skins and juice were left in contact in French oak tanks for 10 days. Varying from stainless steel, this approach provides improved colour and tannin stability. Upon fermentation, flavour and colour is allowed to develop for a period of 4 weeks before the wine is transferred to 40% new French oak barrels for 16-22 months. The use of new French oak allows the wine to retain certain flavours and extract tannin from the oak, resulting in a fuller mid pallet. By using only 40% new oak, the fruits within the wine are respected ensuring the wine is complex yet settled with great ageing potential.

Head Winemaker: Ramon Sanchez
Production: 18 x Barrels | 5,570 x 750ml Bottles

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OTHER VINTAGES

Merlot
Merlot
Merlot
Merlot
Merlot
Merlot