The 2018 Merlot is a quintessential cool-climate expression of the cultivar: elegant with soft red fruit and characteristic notes of vanilla, cedar and clove with a lively edge. The nose offers sour cherry, tobacco leaf and plum, while the palate reveals redcurrant, vanilla and spicy clove.
The velvety texture is enhanced by refreshing acidity, while well-integrated, fine tannins add structure. This fuller-bodied wine will stand up to rich dishes with strong Mediterranean flavors, such as braised and roast meats, tomato-based stews, mature cheeses and briny olives. Will bottle age well for five to seven years after bottling.
The velvety texture is enhanced by refreshing acidity, while well-integrated, fine tannins add structure. This fuller-bodied wine will stand up to rich dishes with strong Mediterranean flavors, such as braised and roast meats, tomato-based stews, mature cheeses and briny olives. Will bottle age well for five to seven years after bottling.
Intensive suckering and crop reduction helps concentrate the fruit and ensure that the Merlot has good color and a distinctive character. The grapes were harvested at a sugar level of 24-25°B. 15% of the juice was drawn off before crush / de-stemming to improve flavor and color. The juice was cold soaked at 10°C for five days and fermented on the skins for 10 – 14 days, allowing the temperature in the tank to peak at 28°C.
The wine was then transferred to a combination of 47% new, 40% 2nd and 13% 3rd fill 225l French oak barrels for malolactic fermentation and left to mature for 24 months. It then underwent a light fining before bottling in late July 2020.
Winemaker: Elunda Basson
The wine was then transferred to a combination of 47% new, 40% 2nd and 13% 3rd fill 225l French oak barrels for malolactic fermentation and left to mature for 24 months. It then underwent a light fining before bottling in late July 2020.
Winemaker: Elunda Basson
Steenberg holds the distinction of being the oldest farm in the picturesque Constantia Valley, which is generally considered to be South Africa’s premier wine growing region. With its cool, sea-facing slopes and majestic granite ridges, this vineyard has developed a worldwide reputation for producing excellent Cape wines. The estate boasts a state of the art modern winery, producing some of the country’s finest award-winning wines.
