VERGELEGEN V 2017
Original price was: £75.95.£70.99Current price is: £70.99. incl. VAT
36 in stock
VERGELEGEN V 2017 is from a small selection of the best barrels from Vergelegen’s Stone Pine IV Vineyard. It should be no surprise that this blend of 87% Cabernet Sauvignon and 13% Merlot is once again ‘extraordinarily good’ (CE) considering 2017 is what Tim Atkin MW calls ‘one of the best ever South African vintages’.
Scoring 96 points from WineMag’s Christian Eedes, 95 points from Atkin and 94+ points from the Wine Advocate’s Anthony Mueller, this is a ‘fresher and more nuanced’ (TA) V than the 2018 vintage that will follow. The nose is initially a bit reductive but opens up to reveals classic ‘ripe, succulent aromas’ (WA) of red and black berries, tea leaf, violets and cedarwood. The most significant feature of the ‘tight and complex’ (WA) is its ‘reined-in power’ (CE). Its combination of ‘lovely fruit purity, fresh acidity and fine-grained tannins’ (CE) make this a ‘steadfast and pleasurable’ (WA) Bordeaux blend that is sure to delight for many decades to come.
ORIGIN
The vineyard used for the production of the V is Stone Pine IV. This
vineyard consists of two adjacent units on the west to northwest facing
inland slopes of Schaapenberg. It is relatively sheltered from the
prevailing breezes coming off False Bay and therefore enjoys a slightly
warmer but still predominantly maritime climate. The two units are
planted on Hutton and Glenrosa soils and are both well drained and
slightly limiting on vigour, but still offer a good buffer capacity
supporting the vines in adverse climatic conditions. This combination
of soil, climate and site ensures full ripening of the fruit without
excessively high sugar levels.
VINIFICATION
The grapes were hand-picked and fermented in closed tanks at
temperatures of 25-28 ̊C. The young wine received a post fermentation
maceration of 28 days, followed by malolactic fermentation in stainless
steel. On completion of the malolactic fermentation the wine was
racked into 100% new French oak. The V was matured in oak for 18
months, followed by 24 months in bottle. The wine was bottled on 30
November 2015 and total production amounted to 6235 bottles.
