Beautifully ripened Merlot grapes are sourced from long established vineyards on the Swartland/Wellington borders and also the Breede River Valley. Low rainfall, warm weather, mainly decomposed granite soils and low trellised vines add interesting complexity to the final wine. The grapes are picked in mid-March, de-stemmed and placed in open top fermenters. Turbo pipeage is done 4 times daily (whilst up to half of the sugar is fermented), then only twice daily to the end of fermentation – this is a soft delicate way of wetting the cap and aerating the wine. Malo-lactic fermentation follows and extra depth is drawn from fermenting the wine on their lees which allows for soft extraction of tannins. Elegance is kept by letting the fruit speak and using a modest amount (10%) of oak.Cape Heights Merlot wine is a bright, juicy, varietal. Attractively soft, creamy, chocolaty nose and a palate bathed in dusky spice. Lush, ripe and deep in hue, this is a plump and sensuous Merlot with flavours of hedgerow fruits and a fine, gently leafy finish. One of our most popular red wines in the shop, we recommend with grilled lamb, pasta with a tomato-based sauce, chorizo and butterbean stew and spicy sausages and mash.
