Merlot Rosé

Smoked Meats/Fish/Poultry, Cured Meats, Fish, Shellfish

Lomond is situated on The Agulhas Plain near the southernmost tip of Africa at Cape Agulhas – the meeting place of the Indian and Atlantic Oceans – 8km from the fishing village of Gansbaai and within sight of the sea. The vineyards were planted only on previously cultivated land within sight of the ocean. This maritime climate with the resulting cooling sea breezes ensures that the vineyards are kept cool which results in late ripening intense fruit. On the slopes of the Ben Lomond mountain in the Uilenkraal Valley, our vineyards are planted on as many as 18 different soil types, which appear naturally in small pockets along the slopes and produce intriguingly complex wines with flavour profiles that differ markedly from one block to the next. This unique combination of geography, geology, and climate results in terroir that is perfect for producing world-class wine. The Cape Agulhas appellation has its place among the world’s top winegrowing regions, and one about which we are incredibly passionate.

The vineyard from which the fruit was sourced is situated on a south-facing slope on the lower-lying areas of the farm with a mixture of soil types comprising mainly Estcourt, Dresden and Cartref. Two different Merlot clones have been planted on Richter 110 rootstocks. The vines are trellised on a five-wire hedge system and supplementary irrigation is given by drip irrigation when required.

The grapes were hand-harvested at 19° Balling during March. Only the free run juice was used to ensure purity of colour and flavour The juice was cold-settled overnight. After cold-settling the clarified juice was racked and inoculated with a selected yeast and then fermented in stainless steel tanks. After fermentation the wine was racked from the lees, stabilised and filtered prior to bottling.