Simonsig Merindol Syrah 2016

This opulent Syrah displays a purplish maroon colour with a dark core. Alluring notes of ripe raspberry, cranberry and cherry, as well as some savoury notes, are followed by whiffs of allspice and cedar wood. A punchy acidity lifts the good concentration of dark berry and cranberry with an umami finish and touches of dark chocolate. Balanced wood integration makes for a well-structured wine with expressed tannins in its youth that will benefit with bottle aging.

Delicious with Karoo lamb shank, grilled pepper steak or aubergine and porcini mushroom “meatballs” in a tomato-based sauce.

variety : Shiraz [ 100% Shiraz ]
winemaker : Johan Malan
wine of origin : Stellenbosch
analysis : alc : 14.4 % vol  rs : 4.3 g/l  pH : 3.69  ta : 4.9 g/l  
type : Red  style : Dry  body : Full   wooded
pack : Bottle  size : 750ml  closure : Cork  

AWARDS
2018 National Wine Challenge - Double Platinum
 

ageing : 

8 to 10 years

Style of Wine: Premium quality oak matured Syrah from a selected single vineyard site.

Background:The name Merindol is taken from the Malan Coat of Arms and is the French village where the Malans originated. Over the past fifteen years Simonsig has replanted Shiraz vineyards with the best Shiraz clones available. Each vineyard was planted on a specially selected site to optimise quality. This has led to a dramatic improvement in quality. The Merindol vineyard is planted on a deep red Hutton soil of weathered granite origin. These are the most sought after soils for growing premium red wine. The high clay percentage has a high water retention capacity and this sustains the vines during the dry summer months. The vineyard was planted in 1996 with a French Shiraz clone SH 99.

in the vineyard : It was a challenging, early and very dry harvest. Water supplies had a great impact on the 2016 harvest, especially where vineyards were not buffered against the heat. However, the dry conditions led to very healthy grapes. Most other regions, especially the Swartland, produced significant smaller crops, but at Simonsig Estate we produced 2% more than 2015. The Shiraz grapes delivered good concentration of colour and fruit.

about the harvest: It was a challenging, early and very dry harvest.

in the cellar : 18 months: 100% New French Oak Barriques: 1st fill 100%.
Picked at 25.3°B on the 18th of March 2016, the grapes were crushed, destemmed and cold soaked for two days prior to inoculation. Fermentation peaked at 27.5°C, with regular and controlled pump overs that resulted in sufficient colour and tannin extraction. There were 20 days of extended
maceration before pressing. Malolactic fermentation took place in new French oak barrels.

find our wines in :

OTHER VINTAGES

Shiraz
Shiraz
Shiraz
Shiraz
Shiraz
Shiraz
Shiraz
Shiraz
Shiraz