Marianne Desirade 2015 Selected by Francois Pienaar

The Desirade is our Bordeaux blend - inspired by our savoir-faire of grapevine growing and winemaking on the river banks of the Gironde in Bordeaux, home to the grape varieties of this blend, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. A dark ruby red in color, this wine is bold but balanced with intense aromas of blackberries, dried cranberries and liquorice. The palate is well structured with roundness and finesse from the Merlot and a long smooth finish from the Cabernet Sauvignon, with tasty flavours of black fruits and anise seeds.

This wine is perfectly suited for a range of flavorful meats. We recommend Desirade with duck or a rich beef stew. It also pairs beautifully with dried meat (the famous South African “biltong”) and goat cheese.

variety : Merlot [ 60% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Sauvignon ]

winery : Marianne Wine Estate

winemaker : Jos Van Wyk

wine of origin : Simonsberg-Paarl

analysis : alc : 14.34 % vol rs : 2.9 g/l pH : 3.72 ta : 5.6 g/l

type : Red style : Dry body : Full wooded

pack : Bottle size : 750ml closure : Cork

ageing : This wine will gain in complexity with age.

in the vineyard :

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.

about the harvest: The grape varietals were handpicked separately at phenolic ripeness and stored at 10°C to ensure the finest flavor and freshness.

in the cellar :

Subsequent processing, fermentation and maturation was carried out separately for each varietal. 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 for optimum color and flavor extraction. Upon fermentation, color and character is allowed to develop for a further period of 3 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 flavors and extract tannin from the oak. By using only 40% new oak, the fruits within each varietal are respected and allowed to combine in perfect harmony ensuring truly magnificent flavor and character. Much care and attention is taken in selecting barrels containing maximum flavor and character for use in the final Bordeaux blend.

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Marianne Desirade 2015 Selected by Francois Pienaar

Merlot

Jos Van Wyk