Vergelegen Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 75cl

Origin

Sourced from north and north-westerly vineyards at Vergelegen, Somerset West, where soil types of granite, Hutton and weathered shale dominate. The 2012-2013 growing season was long and mild, with ideal rainfall at crucial times, leading to perfect physiological ripeness. The harvesting of Merlot, earliest of the Bordeaux grapes, commenced on 5 March and Cabernet Sauvignon on 15 March.

Vinification

At Vergelegen all grapes are handpicked followed by storage in a refrigerated container at -20°C for 48 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 4 days, after which cultured yeast was added and fermented until dry. The young red wine was then macerated on the skins for a further 6-7 weeks before going into barrel for 18 months (20% new) and finally bottled in early December 2014. Released September 2019.