Zorgvliet Merlot, 2018

Grapes were harvested by hand and berry sorted into stainless steel fermenters. Fermentation commenced spontaneously and was finished with a pure strain. Extraction was done with a combination of punch-down, rack-and-return and pump-over methods. Batches were gently pressed and immediately racked to small French oak barrels where they completed maloactic fermentation. The components were racked three times to enhance clarification and development. Blending took place after 14 months of aging, after which the composed blend was aged in barrel for another 4 months. The wine was bottled after a total of 22 months.