Fluvius Reserve Merlot 2016

Fluvius Reserve Merlot 2016

750 ml
R 1,250.00
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Fluvius Reserve Merlot 2016
  • Fluvius Reserve Merlot 2016
  • Fluvius Reserve Merlot 2016
Fluvius Reserve Merlot 2016

Fluvius Reserve Merlot 2016

4.5 ★ (91 points) Platter’s Wine Guide

A powerful yet elegant Merlot with fresh red fruits and a soft finish, barrel-matured for 36 months. The hand-selected grapes are grown on ancient riverbeds giving it its rich mineral character. A long lingering finish with fine acidity allows immediate enjoyment of the wine and with excellent ageing potential.

Origin: Voor-Groenberg | Wellington
Cultivar: Merlot 100%
Bottling Date: June 2019
Release Date: April 2020
Total Production: 997
Ageing Potential: Give it some air and enjoy now. Can mature for more than 15 years (when stored correctly)
Serve At: 16 – 18 Degrees
Pair With: Slow-cooked beef stew or veal chops, Butternut ravioli in parmesan cream sauce, rich oxtail stew or springbok and Kudu dishes

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Tasting Notes

A powerful yet elegant Merlot with fresh red fruits and a soft finish, barrel-matured for 36 months. The hand-selected grapes are grown on ancient riverbeds giving it its rich mineral character. A long lingering finish with fine acidity allows immediate enjoyment of the wine and with excellent aging potential.
Growing Season

The ongoing drought in the Western Cape was evident with the very low rainfall we experienced in the winter of 2015. The summer started to pick up the pace in November, which then saw the temperatures sore into the 40’s during December and January.

This incredibly hot and dry summer season was challenging for many grape farmers. We have the good fortune that our water supply was very adequate and with excellent vineyard management our vineyards performed very well. The harvest was earlier than usual, yet yielded higher than 2015.

The quality of the grapes was very good. Interestingly the 2016 vintage is remembered for its delicate and elegant flavours compared to the bolder flavours from 2015. Both our single vineyard Syrah block, as well as the Merlot block was harvested by hand.

The grapes were then sorted by hand on the sorting table, ensuring only the best grapes are used for our wines. 2016 was also the year we harvested for our reserve range, which would mature for 3 years in the best quality barrels.
Vineyards

Single Block Size:1,4 HA
Planted:1996
Soil:Decomposed Granite with traces of Table Mountain Sandstone
Style of Wine: Barrel Matured Red Wine
Wood Maturation:New French Oak | 1st and 2nd fill French Oak
Vinification & Ageing

Anaylsis: Alcohol 14,5 % vol, Residual Sugar 2.4 gm/l, Total Acidity 5.70 gm/l, pH 3.58

The clusters were hand-picked into 18-kg crates and then selected and sorted by hand before destem, and finally softly crushed. All grapes come exclusively from our own single vineyard block situated on our farm at 200m altitude above sea level. Fermentation took place in stainless steel tanks at temperatures between 26-30°C for 10 days, followed by 10-15 days of maceration on the skins.

The malolactic fermentation took place mainly in French oak barrels, 20% new and 80% first and second fill barrels. The wine then remained in barrels, in temperature-controlled cellars for 36 months. After bottling, the wine aged a further 10 months prior to release.

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