Keermont Merlot 2020

In 2003 the Wraith family, originally from Gauteng, bought two adjacent farms which today make up Keermont Vineyards. Mark Wraith lives on the farm with his wife, Monica and their four children. Keermont Vineyards are situated high up in the Blaauwklippen Valley, otherwise known as Paradyskloof (paradise gorge). The Blaauwklippen River, which bisects the farm, is also the boundary between the Helderberg and the Stellenbosch Mountain Range. This means that some vineyards are on the warmer north-facing Helderberg slopes and others on the cooler west-facing Stellenbosch range. The altitude climbs 200m within the 1.7km length of the farm and the vineyards are planted between 250m and 400m above sea level.
The mountainous terrain and differing soil types provide pockets of excellent and varied terroir. These pockets are separated by tracts of pristine mountain Fynbos and Renosterveld, endemic to the Western Cape as the Wraiths and their team believe all the natural vegetation encourages the accumulation of natural predators and deterrents to those organisms that may attack vineyards. They endeavour to use fewer chemical fertilisers and pesticides, and to irrigate as little as possible. Only grapes grown on Keermont Vineyards are used in the production of Keermont wines. Most of the vineyard parcels grow on deep red clay rich soil derived from sandstone and granite.

The two Merlot vineyards are High Road, with heavier clay and more rocky soils which leans toward more dense and concentrated wine; and Homestead Merlot in lighter, loamy soils which leans toward more elegant wine.