Meerlust Chardonnay
Meerlust
Long recognised for producing premium wines, Meerlust Estate has been the pride of the Myburgh family since 1756 The Estate is run today by Hannes Myburgh 8 th generation custodian of this 17 th Century national monument The first owner of the property, Henning Huising settled there in 1693 He named his new home Meerlust meaning ‘pleasure of the sea’, as the manor house sits on a granite outcrop just 5 km from False Bay The vineyards are refreshed by ocean breezes and evening mists which roll in from the coast The grapes ripen slowly, achieving concentrated varietal flavours Meerlust were the pioneers of Bordeaux varietals in the Cape When visiting Bordeaux, Nico Myburgh discovered that the climate and soil was similar to that of the Eerste River Valley However, at the time the red wines produced in Bordeaux and South Africa were very different Bordeaux thrived on producing blends. Nico returned to Meerlust filled with the desire to create a blend of his own that would match those produced in France In 1980 the new blend was born With 70 Cabernet Sauvignon, 20 Merlot and 10 Cabernet Franc, a new style of wine had been created in South Africa Chris Williams, Meerlust’s Cellar Master, studied Oenology at Elsenburg and gained international experience in France while working for Michel Rolland The Myburgh family is committed to social responsibility and has a long history of investing in their workforce through the Meerlust Foundation, which aims to provide a safe environment for the children of the farm workers Pinot Noir 2017: 4.5/5 John Platter, 92 Points Winemag.co
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Alcohol-abv
13.4%
Bottle Format:
75cl
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South Africa
South Africa is one of the most prominent wine-producing countries in the Southern Hemisphere. With more than 300 years of winemaking history, it is often described as bridging the gap between the Old World and New. The majority of wines are made using New World winemaking techniques but often have more in common stylistically with their Old World counterparts.
South Africa's wine industry is distributed around the lush, rugged landscape of the Western Cape. Here, the abundance of mountains, valleys and plateaus allow winemakers to produce a diverse range of styles. Vineyards are also found in the Northern Cape's Orange River region, where the flat, barren landscape is dominated by the Kalahari Desert. Most of South Africa's wine-producing regions have a Mediterranean climate, significantly influenced by the meeting of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.
The country's signature variety is Pinotage, an indigenous crossing of Pinot Noir and Cinsaut that is rarely found in quantity in any other wine-producing country. Shiraz is widely planted also, as are Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.
However white grape varieties account for 55 percent of the country's 96,000 hectares (237,000 acres) of vineyards. Chenin Blanc is the republic's most planted grape with 18.5 percent of all plantings. South African Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc have become popular internationally in recent years.
Stellenbosch
The town of Stellenbosch in Western Cape's Coastal Region, is steeped in history and is home to the country’s best-known wine estates. Cabernet Sauvignon is the region's most widely planted grape variety, and is often combined with Merlot to create Bordeaux Blend wines.
Stellenbosch is just 25 miles (40km) east of Cape Town. Simonsberg Mountain in the north separates it from Paarl, while the Hottentot Hollands Mountain range on the eastern side separates it from Walker Bay. False Bay lies roughly 12 miles (20km) to the south.
Vineyards cover the gently rolling hills of Stellenbosch, from Helderberg in the south to the lower slopes of Simonsberg Mountain in the north. This terrain allows for a lot of variation in wine styles, and mesoclimates suitable for the cultivation of all sorts of grape varieties can be found among the exposed hills and sheltered valleys.
Granite and sandstone soils are found throughout Stellenbosch. Their high clay content means that while they are free draining they have excellent water-retention properties. Sufficient rainfall in winter allows growers to keep irrigation to a minimum. The region's climate is relatively hot and dry, although a maritime influence comes from False Bay in the south. Cooling southeasterly breezes wash through the vineyards in the afternoons, refreshing the grapes after the morning's hot sun. White-wine varieties are often planted closer to the ocean where this effect is more pronounced.
