Robertson Winery Merlot 2003

Rich, dark red colour with ripe punchy plum flavours, sweet black cherry and a velvet finish. Delicate wood does not mask the ripe fruit.

Enjoy now with roast chicken, beef, lamb, pasta and steak. Serve at 12Âº - 14ÂºC.

variety : Merlot [ 100% Merlot ]

winery :

winemaker : Lolly Louwrens

wine of origin : Breede River

analysis : alc : 13.63 % vol rs : 2.3 g/l pH : 3.51 ta : 5.7 g/l

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

pack : Bottle

ageing : 3-5 years

in the vineyard : For the first time in many years we had good rains and cold temperatures during the winter in Robertson. It was good in that it helped to build up a little ground water, as it was not necessary to irrigate the vines during the winter months. Spring arrived at the beginning of September; overall bud break was very good due to the cold conditions of winter. Night temperatures in October and November were significantly cooler compared to the previous year. This ensured good acidities. In terms of disease we were lucky being in a warmer region, primary infections were low.

Merlot by nature is very sensitive to heat and prefers cooler areas; therefore we plant our Merlot on the lower mountain slopes in deep Karoo soils that retain water well. Our Merlot vines are planted from East to West to protect grapes from direct sunlight and to utilize the prevailing sea breeze to cool the grapes during the ripening season. Irrigation is supplemented by controlled drip irrigation from the Breede River when needed.

about the harvest: Our harvest started on 28 January 2003. Attention to detail was well managed and has resulted in good potential in the quality of our wines. Fruit was harvested in the last week of February from 43 specially selected grape growers in the Robertson Valley. Grapes were harvested at full ripeness between 24,5Âº - 26ÂºB from a selection of vineyards.

in the cellar : Cold soaking happened two days prior to fermentation to ensure optimum colour and flavour extraction. Fermentation happened in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks at 24Âº Celsius for seven days. Eighty percent of the wine was matured on French oak and twenty percent on American oak for seven months to add weight and complexity.

email this page

find our wines in :