Thelema Merlot 2012
A wonderfully balanced and juicy Merlot with up-front red fruit, dark chocolate and round, polished tannins.
Maturation
WIll develop well for 6 years from vintage date.
Food Pairing
Mushroom risotto, rich pastas and grilled meats.
Winemaker's Comments
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.
All Vintages
Tasting Notes
Viticultural Practices
| 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 | Dry season with cool weather during the ripening period resulting in ideal conditions for production of elegant, well balanced wines. |
| Picking date | 8th - 14th March |
| Grape sugar | 25.2 °B |
| Acidity | 4.8 g/l |
| pH at harvest | 3.65 |
Winemaking Practices
| 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. |
Wine Details
| Residual Sugar | 2.5 g/l |
|---|---|
| pH | 3.66 |
| Total acid | 5.5 g/l |
| Alcohol | 14.9% by volume |
| Maturation | 2015 – 2020 |
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Looking for an older vintage? Please contact us for more information.