Thelema Merlot 2011
A wonderfully balanced, juicy, up-front red with smoky fruit flavours, and surprisingly firm tannins.
Maturation
WIll develop well for 6 years from vintage date.
Food Pairing
Mushroom risotto, rich pastas and grilled meats.
Tasting Notes
| Varietal | Merlot – clone 192 and 348A |
|---|---|
| Root stock | R99/110 |
| Soil type | Hutton – decomposed granite |
| Age of vines | Planted 1988 and 2000 |
| Plant density | 2460 – 3200 vines per hectare |
| Trellising | Vertical hedge |
| Pruning | 2-bud spurs every 12cm |
| Yield | Approximately 10.8 t/ha |
| Irrigation | Supplementary drip |
| Vintage | Warm and windy vintage the driest season in some years with different varietals ripening at the same time making it a tough harvest for the winery crew |
| Picking date | 22nd & 23rd February |
| Grape sugar | 24.7 °B |
| Acidity | 5.2 g/l |
| pH at harvest | 3.5 |
| Yeasts | Natural occurring yeasts |
|---|---|
| Fermentation temp | 27 °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 | 18 months in French oak barrels, 30% new, balance in older barrels. |
| Residual Sugar | 2.1 g/l |
|---|---|
| pH | 3.62 |
| Total acid | 5.0 g/l |
| Alcohol | 14.89% by volume |
| Maturation | 2014 – 2020 |
Juicy, upfront red fruit and concentrated flavours with just the right amount of tannin. Hints of dark chocolate on the finish complete this wonderfully balanced wine.