Meerlust Merlot 2018

Growing fine wines on the Meerlust Estate has been part of the Myburgh family tradition for eight generations, beginning in 1756. Long recognized for producing world-class wines, the Meerlust Estate is singularly rich in charm and history. A tour of the estate, situated fifteen kilometers south of Stellenbosch, reveals its historical Dutch manor house, classical wine cellar, rose gardens, family cemetery, dovecote and bird sanctuary. Hannes Myburgh, the current owner, graduated from Stellenbosch University with a Bachelor of Arts degree majoring in French and English in 1982, before studying winemaking at Geisenheim in Germany. Hannes worked at Chateau Lafite in France and Von Oetinger in Germany. The first owner of the property, a German immigrant named Henning Huising, recognized the beauty and potential of the farm and settled here in 1693. He named his new-found home “Meerlust”, meaning “pleasure of the sea”, as the manor house sits on a granite outcrop only 5km from False Bay, and in the warm summer months the vineyards are refreshed by ocean breezes and evening mists which roll in from the coast.

Selected from vineyards of twenty-seven year old Estate-grown Merlot plantings situated on well drained yet clay-rich Oak leaf, Vilafontes and Klapmuts soil. 30% vendage vert (green harvesting cluster removal) at 60% veraison to ensure concentration and even-ripening. Leaves around the bunches were removed three weeks before harvesting to ensure physiological ripeness of the berries. Malolactic fermentation took place in 300L French oak Hogsheads. Maturation in 54% new French oak, 46% second fill for seventeen months before bottling. The Meerlust Merlot 2017 is a blend of 87,5% Merlot, 8% Cabernet Franc for structure and acidity and 4,5% Petit Verdot which gives the wine a lifted floral aroma and polished, sleek tannins.