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Canetsfontein Merlot 2020

The wine has dark to medium red colour with a tint of orange on the edge. The bouquet shows integrated flavours of oak, spice and ripe raspberries. The palate has good structure, well supported by good oak with soft tannins and tones of raspberries and chocolate.

This wine, being medium bodied and fleshy with soft tannins, is well suited for a range of good cheeses (preferable cow milk cheese), everyday traditional dishes (but not too spicy or hot) or any Mediterranean dish. Serving temperature 16-18 degrees Celsius
variety : Merlot [ 100% ]
winery : Canetsfontein
winemaker : Frank Meaker
wine of origin : Wellington
analysis : alc : 13.96 % vol  rs : 3.4 g/l  pH : 3.7  ta : 5.7 g/l  
type : Red  style : Dry  body : Full  
pack : Bottle  size : 750ml  closure : Cork  

ageing : 5-7 years
in the vineyard : Clone MO192. Block B is dominantly Oakleaf soils. Oakleafs are younger, deeper soils with high potential, commonly found close to flood
plains, next to riverbeds or in pockets on foothills. The vines were pruned to a two-bud spur. Green leaf vineyard practices, like suckering, were applied during the growing season, creating the best light exposure and shading
position for the bunches and to stimulate optimal growth in the needed canopy. Due to the dry season, all low-quality bunches were removed from the vine at a very early stage of ripening to maximize the potential of the remaining crop.

CULTIVAR: 100% Merlot
TRELLIS: Double trellis cordon wiring
AGE OF VINES: 19 years
ROOTSTOCK: Richter 99
SLOPE: North, North West
ROW DIRECTION: East West
about the harvest: The grapes were picked early March 2020 from a single vineyard on the farm. The winter of 2019 produced enough cold units which led to a healthy dormancy period although the needed rainfall was below average. The spring arrived with relative windy conditions during the grape-set period which resulted in smaller berries and a consequently a lighter crop. Summer temperatures were moderate during the ripening period, with no characteristic heat peaks. These conditions were well for flavour retention in grapes. Although rainfall during the ripening period relieved pressure on water resources in some regions, it resulted in a surge in diseases (downy mildew, sour rot and botrytis).
Supplementary irrigation was still used where possible to alleviate any potential stress condition which could have a negative impact on the Merlot quality. The viticulture practices which were applied during the season continued the conversion from conventional to 100% organic wines.
in the cellar : After destemming the berries were transferred into open stainless-steel tanks, cooled down and cold soaked for 2 days. Specially selected
French yeast was used for fermentation and the grapes were punched down 3 times per day, till fermented dry. After fermentation the skins were pressed with a basket press and all the juice was transferred to stainless-steel tanks to settle and eventually to oak barrels for 100% French oak for 18 months. One third first fill, one third second fill, one third third fill.
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