Meerlust Merlot 2022
Original price was: £29.95.£26.95Current price is: £26.95. incl. VAT
30 in stock
Deep ruby red. Typical Merlot notes of black plum, dark cherry, dried herbs underpinned by mocha and tobacco. The palate is generous with juicy dark fruit, while still delicate on the finish, showing complex cherry tobacco flavours coupled with a fine acidity. This wine shows will age gracefully and will gain in complexity and suppleness of tannin for many years to come.
100% Merlot
Ageing potential
10 – 15 years, provided wine is stored in ideal cellar conditions.
In the cellar
This vintage is 100% Merlot. It is made up of a few individual parcels that are all fermented separately before undergoing malolactic fermentation in 300 L barrels. After 6 months in barrel, the final components were selected and blended and put back to barrel for 12
months in 40% new French oak for further maturation before bottling.
In the vineyard
Our Merlot is a true expression of the variety as grown on the Meerlust estate and draws fruit
from two of our four distinctive terroirs. Each terroir provides a unique element to the final
blend.
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.
The 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.
About the harvest
Higher than the long-term average rainfall was recorded during the winter months leading up
to the 2022 harvest. Soil profiles were well saturated at the beginning of the growing season
with bud break being delayed due to low soil temperatures for up to nine days compared to
the previous year.
Exceptional summer rainfall resulted in lush canopies with high growth rates due to access to
water and higher mean temperatures recorded in the growing season.
Although bud break occurred later, flowering and veraison only differed a day or two from
the previous season. The pace of the season was slowed down by a dry and warm
temperatures recorded during the ripening period this led to harvest starting later.
This resulted in good hang times, minimal harvesting pressure due to lower yields enabling the
picking of grapes at optimal ripeness levels. Wines of this season shows finesse and fruit
freshness coupled with a fine tannin structure.
In the cellar
This vintage is 100% Merlot. It is made up of a few individual parcels that are all fermented
separately before undergoing malolactic fermentation in 300 L barrels. After 6 months in
barrel, the final components were selected and blended and put back to barrel for 12
months in 40% new French oak for further maturation before bottling.
