Meerlust Red 2021

Youthful ruby red colour, with a garnet red hue. Supple red and black fruit, with warm spice on the nose with some supporting oak notes. Still young and intense, the palate is full bodied, structured but packed with fresh red fruit and soft rounded tannins.

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variety : Merlot [ 36% Cabernet Franc, 25% Merlot, 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Petit Verdot ]

winery : Meerlust Estate

winemaker : Altus Treurnicht

wine of origin : Stellenbosch

analysis : alc : 14.11 % vol rs : 2.20 g/l pH : 3.48 ta : 5.80 g/l

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

pack : Bottle size : 750ml closure : Cork

ageing : Ageing potential of 5-8 years, provided wine is stored in ideal cellar conditions.

Meerlust has a long-standing commitment to producing exceptional wines. In 1985, the estate released its first Red blend, which marked the first declassification of its flagship Rubicon wine. Since then, the Meerlust Red has been reserved for vintages that do not meet the estate's exacting quality standards for Rubicon. However, due to the popularity of the Meerlust Red and the estate's focus on nurturing young vineyards, the wine has been added as a permanent fixture in the Meerlust range from 2020.

Made only from estate-grown grapes, the Meerlust Red draws fruit from the estate's four distinctive terroirs, each providing a unique element to the final blend.

in the vineyard : Compagniesdrift - The soils from this warm north facing slope are predominantly formed from weathered granite. The wines originating from this granitic hilltop are expressive and bold in structure, mainly due to the coarse gravelly texture and sufficient soil depth to promote long and even ripening.

River Terraces - Sandy soils laced with rounded river stones allow for excellent root proliferation. This area of the Estate experiences the greatest shift between day and night temperatures, promoting flavour development of these delicate and fruit forward wines.

Quarry - The extremely rocky terrain consisting of greywacke with interbedded shales provides a unique substrate for vines. Shallow rooted vines on this cool and windswept foot slope leads to wines with characteristic red fruit with exceptional length, detail, and precision.

Lowlands - The remains of an ancient estuary are marked by clay-rich soils from deeply weathered greywacke and shales. The wines from this generally cool south facing, clay-rich terroir is typically smooth and silky in texture with prominent black fruit.

about the harvest: Good rainfall during the winter and long uninterrupted cold spells meant reserves where adequately replenished and cold requirement easily met. A very dry and hot spring followed by a moderate growing season resulted in even budding and slower than normal, even ripening – especially beneficial for our late ripening varieties.

in the cellar : The 2021 Red is a blend of Cabernet Franc (36%), Merlot (25%), Cabernet Sauvignon (25%) and Petit Verdot (14%), every parcel of each variety was fermented separately before undergoing malolactic fermentation in 300 L barrels and large Foudré. After 8 months in oak, the components were blended and given another 8 months in barrel for harmonization before bottling.

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