Reserve Merlot

Serve decanted with your favourite red meat, such as lamb cutlets or a fillet steak.

Situated at the tip of the African continent at the Cape of Good Hope in the renowned Stellenbosch district Vergelegen is nestled between the Helderberg and Hottentots Holland mountains with views of Cape Town Table Mountain and False Bay. This fertile valley protected by granite cliffs enjoys a mild climate of long warm days that bring the fruit to full ripeness and cooling afternoon ocean breezes that lengthen the growing season intensifying the depth of fruit flavor in grapes. Favored with 21 soil types Vergelegen is rich ground for cultivating the breadth of noble varietals and clones essential for crafting the estates brilliant world-class wines. The estate has a rich and storied cultural history dating back to 1700. The philosophy at Vergelegen is simple: “To strive to produce the best possible wines by careful decision-making that maximizes the synergy between vineyard and winery.”ed at the tip of the African continent at the Cape of Good Hope in the renowned Stellenbosch district Vergelegen is nestled between the Helderberg and Hottentots Holland mountains with views of Cape Town Table Mountain and False Bay. This fertile valley protected by granite cliffs enjoys a mild climate of long warm days that bring the fruit to full ripeness and cooling afternoon ocean breezes that lengthen the growing season intensifying the depth of fruit flavor in grapes. Favored with 21 soil types Vergelegen is rich ground for cultivating the breadth of noble varietals and clones essential for crafting the estates brilliant world-class wines.

Sourced from north and north-westerly vineyards where the slope has flattened somewhat leading to a higher clay content in the soil. This gives the Merlot greater buffering capacity against stressful conditions.

Malolactic fermentation took place in stainless steel after which the wines went to barrel – a combination of 225l and 300l barrels for 12 months of ageing before blending and bottling.

The grapes were hand-picked and sorted, transferred to stainless steel tanks, and cold-soaked for 2 days for soft extraction. They were inoculated with 3 yeast strains. A combination of pump-overs was used for extraction (closed and open). Depending on the extraction site, pump overs were stopped at various times during the ferment. The wine was left in contact with the skins post-ferment for delicate tannin manipulation.