The drought finally broke in 2011, and when it rained it poured!!!!!

After years with little rainfall during the growing and harvest periods, it certainly was a shock to the system to have rain fall on a weekly basis through out this time. This put extreme disease pressure on the vineyard.

We worked hard throughout the growing season, with a vigilant spray program, and canopy and crop management to allow good airflow. We experienced an “Indian Summer”, with only 3 days with temperatures above 40ºC, and this, coupled with the high rainfall, caused for the harvest to be delayed, only starting in March. We harvested mainly by hand in 2011, so as to be selective in the fruit we took in, avoiding any damaged or diseased berries. This selection ensured the highest possible quality grapes to come into the winery, which certainly helped the winemaking process.

It really was a challenging year, but there were some pleasant surprises along the way.

A blend of three parcels, each handled separately – two parcels were fermented in open fermenters, being hand plunged 3 times daily.  At 1/4 ferment remaining, they were pressed off into new French oak hogsheads and 3 year old French oak hogsheads.  The final parcel was crushed into a static fermenter for a cold soak of 3 days.  It was fermented on skins for approximately 12 days, being pumped over twice daily and was then pressed into a stainless steel tank.

The individual components were matured as separate parcels, in French oak for approximately 12 months.  After oak maturation, the wine was blended, fined and clarified prior to bottling in September 2012.

Our 2011 Merlot has a deep red colour, with purple hues. The bouquet is an attractive mix of violets and mulberries.  Ripe red berry fruit characters, good oak integration and a fine, long tannin finish all combine to create a textural, velvety and perfectly balanced wine.

Merlot is a versatile food wine and pairs well with deeply savoury flavours. Try it with pork chops, in a garlic, rosemary and lemon marinade.