Merlot 2022 - Boschendal 1685

Wine of Origin Cape Coast, South Africa.

The grapes come from several high-quality vineyards located around Stellenbosch and Elgin. The vines range in age from 7 to 25 years and are planted on varying soil types. Cane pruning, bunch thinning, and green harvesting were carried out to promote tannin maturation and maximize aromatic expression.
The grapes are hand-picked in the early morning hours of March, and all the grapes and bunches are carefully selected in the vineyard to ensure that no green or unripe berries reach the cellar. A further selection of the berries is carried out in the cellar immediately after pressing to ensure that only the most perfect berries reach the fermentation tanks.

Fermentation takes place in steel tanks and each vineyard has been treated differently to promote its unique and natural expression of the terroir.
Some of the wines from more robust soils underwent prolonged maceration of the skins. Wines from vineyards with cooler climates underwent malolactic fermentation in steel to enhance the aromas. Expressive blueberry notes associated with these sites and also to bring freshness to the palate. The wine is aged in 300-liter French oak barrels, 20% of which are new.