Ernie Els Proprietor's Blend 2016

Name: Ernie Els Proprietor's Blend 2016
Brand: Ernie Els Wines
SKU: 44041

The Proprietors blend is once again impressive and serious in 2016. Medium to full-bodied, it is strewn with black fruits, exotic spice and chards of dark chocolate. Sweet spicy oak melts into a dense, powerfully-fruited and structured core. The majority Cabernet Sauvignon gives a cassis purity and salty edge, while the Shiraz component adds a meaty, savoury and spicy edge. The blend is rounded off by the remaining Bordeaux cultivars in a complexity explosion from start to finish. It is exquisitely textured and finely tuned, the 2016 will open up over the next 5 years and age for a decade or more.

variety : Cabernet Sauvignon [ 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Shiraz, 5% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc. 5% Malbec, 5% Petit Verdot ]

winery : Ernie Els Wines

winemaker : Louis Strydom

wine of origin : Stellenbosch

analysis : alc : 14.84 % vol rs : 3.21 g/l pH : 3.68 ta : 5.96 g/l

type : Red style : Dry body : Full taste : Herbaceous wooded

pack : Bottle size : 750ml closure : Cork

AWARDS

Platters 2019 Awards - 5 stars Red Blend (Other) Wine of the Year 2019

in the vineyard : Challenging conditions led to a reduced wine grape crop for South African producers in 2016, but grapes were healthy and concentrated flavours promise good wines. The weather was very warm, especially from the end of October towards the end of January, which restricted the growth and constituted lower bunch masses and smaller berries. However, the dry conditions led to the vineyards and grapes being very healthy overall. Smaller berries led to more concentrated colour and flavour on the positive side and good wines are expected from the 2016 harvest. Good reserves were accumulated during the post-harvest period (April and May), after which leaf fall occurred mostly at the right time. The winter started off late in most of the regions but the weather conditions were cold enough to break dormancy. Spring came on time and the weather conditions were ideal which led to good, even bud burst. The harvest period started a week early due to the warmer weather and it ended about two weeks earlier. The wines from the 2016 vintage appear astoundingly good, with great structure and good flavours.

The Proprietor’s Blend is a blend of all the six varieties cultivated on the property. These vineyards grow on the warm north-facing slopes of the Helderberg region within the Stellenbosch appellation. All six varieties thrive under these conditions and deliver rich, full-bodied red wines. With an altitude of approximately 250 metres above sea level and the cooling influence of the Atlantic Ocean just 15 kilometres away, the ripening period is extended by up to 3 weeks.

about the harvest: The grapes were hand-picked in the cool of early morning.
March & April, 2016. 25.5° Brix average sugar at harvest

in the cellar : Whole berries are fermented in open top tanks and barrels with intermittent pump-overs and punch downs to ensure a balance between flavor, colour and tannin extraction from the skins. All ferments are meticulously monitored during fermentation to ensure that all the natural aromas and flavours are preserved and highlighted as required. After primary fermentation some tanks and barrel will undergo extended maceration as required. Each variety is maturated separately (micro-vinified) in oak barrels before blending and eventual bottling.

Release Date: 1st January 2019
Sustainability Initiative: I.P.W. (Integrated Production of Wine) Certified

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