Premium Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2017

Vergelegen, teknisk ark/fact sheet (vergelegen.co.za – linket fra vergelegen.co.za, hentet 2026-10-18): 2017 Vergelegen Premium Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot; 65% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 11% Petit Verdot, 4% Malbec; alkohol 14.4%. Producentens noter (engelsk): Tech sheet: VERGELEGEN PREMIUM CABERNET SAUVIGNON MERLOT 2017 TASTING NOTES Bright dark red. On the nose striking cassis underlined with cedar and a fresh ripe fruit character. On the palate the freshness carries through with a long-lasting aftertaste. Serve with barbecued meat, stews, pizza/pasta. Or enjoy with friends. O RIGIN Sourced from north and north-westerly vineyards at Vergelegen, Somerset West, where soil types of granite, Hutton and weathered shale dominate. The 2016/2017 growing season was long and mild, leading to perfect physiological ripeness. The 2017 harvest itself was warm and dry BUT the nights were cool which is perfect for colour and flavour formation. Harvesting Merlot started 23rd February and we finished by end March with Cabernet Sauvignon! This was the fourth and final of four extremely dry vintages leading to small berries and thick skins with high levels of fruit, colour and tannins. VINIFICATION At Vergelegen all grapes are handpicked followed by storage in a refrigerated container at -10°C for 24 hours. The cool grapes (8-10°C) are then carefully sorted on combinations of vibrating tables and slow-moving conveyors, where between 1,5-3 tons are sorted per hour. The grapes are de- stemmed but not crushed and the grapes/must cold soaked for 7 days followed by a feral fermentation lasting 96 hours. Eventually, cultured yeast is added, and the juice fermented dry. The young red wine is now macerated on the skins for a further 37 days before going to barrel. We bottled the wine on 31 January 2019 after 17 months of barrel maturation - 20% new French oak. COMPOSITION Cabernet Sauvignon 65% Merlot 20% Malbec 4% Petit Verdot 11% ANALYSIS Alc. 14.44% RS 3.44 g/l TA 5.93 g/l pH 3.51 MATURATION Drinking beautifully now but will improve even more in the bottle over the next 5-10 years.