Thelema Merlot 2004
Juicy, up-front fruity flavours are backed up with surprisingly firm tannins; it appears gentle, but packs a punch.
Food Pairing
Mushroom risotto, rich pastas and grilled meats.
Winemaker's Comments
Juicy, up-front fruity flavours are backed up with surprisingly firm tannins; it appears gentle, but packs a punch.
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Tasting Notes
Viticultural Practices
| Varietal | Merlot, clone 192 |
|---|---|
| Root stock | R99 |
| Soil type | Hutton – decomposed granite |
| Age of vines | Planted 1988 |
| Plant density | 3200 vines per hectare |
| Trellising | Vertical hedge |
| Pruning | 2-bud spurs every 12cm |
| Yield | Approximately 7 t/ha |
| Irrigation | Supplementary drip |
| Vintage | Moderate to warm vintage, good even ripeness of fruit |
| Picking date | 8th – 17th March |
| Grape sugar | 25.3 °B |
| Acidity | 5.5 g/l |
| pH at harvest | 3.5 |
Winemaking Practices
| Yeasts | Natural occurring yeasts |
|---|---|
| Fermentation temp | 28 °C |
| Method | De-stalked, hand sorted, crushed, pumped into stainless steel fermenters, cold soak for 2 days, pumped over twice a day for 5 days, generally with an aerated pump over in the morning and a closed circulation in the afternoon. After fermentation the wine is left on the skins for two days before pressing and then racked to barrel for malo-lactic fermentation. |
| Wood maturation | 20 months in French oak barrels, 30% new, balance in older barrels. |
Wine Details
| Residual Sugar | 1.8 g/l |
|---|---|
| pH | 3.43 |
| Total acid | 5.0 g/l |
| Alcohol | 15.10% by volume |
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