Oak Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2009

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Technical Analysis

Winemaker - Pieter Visser

Main Variety - Cabernet Sauvignon

Alcohol - 14.5 %vol

pH - 3.7

RS - 1.7 g/l

Total Acid - 5.3 g/l

Volatile Acidity - 0.70 g/l

Appellation - Elgin

Characteristics

Type - Red

Style - Dry

Body - Full

Tasting Notes

Full bodied with beautiful ripe red fruit flavours of mulberries, blackcurrant, dark cherries and chassis, balanced by excellent freshness due to natural acidity, soft and elegant tannins. Fresh herbal note from the more generous use of Cabernet adds a lovely layer of complexity and delivers a wine with greater structure and longer ageing potential than previous vintages.

Ageing Potential

Drinking beautifully now, but will age gracefully in bottle. Cellaring potential of 10+ years.

Blend Information

40% Cabernet Sauvignon, 34% Merlot, 13% Cabernet Franc, 13% Petit Verdot

In The Vineyard

Yields in the mountain are ultra-low; Merlot averages 4 tonnes p/ha while the lower lying Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon yield above 6 tonnes p/ha. Canopy is opened in the bunch zone a week before harvest to avoid green flavours.

Aspect: South-west and north facing slopes
Elevation: 350-580m
Soil type: Medium texture gravelly soils with structured clay layer
Rootstock: R99, R110, Ruggeri 140
Planting date: 2000-2005
Ha planted 6.62 ha
Average tonnage: 4-6 tonnes p/ha
Irrigation: Drip irrigation, post-harvest irrigation mostly
Trellising: Extended Perold
Vines per ha: 2564-3333 vines/ha

About The Harvest

Grapes are harvested from three different sites, the valley vineyard, a north facing slope and south facing mountain vineyard. Yields in the mountain are ultra-low; Merlot averages 4 tonnes p/ha while the lower lying Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon yield above 6 tonnes p/ha. Canopy is opened in the bunch zone a week before harvest to avoid green flavours.

Harvest dates: 25 March - 1 April 2009

In The Cellar

In the cellar, berries are individually hand sorted before cold maceration ensues for 5 days at 8°C. Cultivated yeast is added and fermentation occurs between 26-30°C. Three pump-overs and several punch-downs per day ensure gentle extraction of flavours from the skins. After fermentation, the wine undergoes another period of skin contact before pressing. Malolactic fermentation occurs in tank then the wine is matured for 16 months in 60% new French oak and the remainder 2nd fill.

Other Vintages

Wine	Wine Maker	Main Variety
Oak Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2010	Pieter Visser	Cabernet Sauvignon
Oak Valley Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2009	Pieter Visser	Cabernet Sauvignon