Shannon Vineyards 'Black' Merlot
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Region: Elgin Valley, Western Cape, South Africa
Grape: 100% Merlot
Tasting: Black plum / dark cherry / cocoa nib / cedar / wild herbs / graphite / sweet tobacco
Pairing: Dry-aged Hereford ribeye / Iberico presa / Slow-cooked lamb shoulder / Aged Comté / Black truffle
Producer: Shannon Vineyards sits in the Elgin Valley above the banks of the Peninsula Dam on the Palmiet River — a cool-climate site where cold mountain air drains down through the night and shrouds the vines in mist by morning. Ten hectares under vine, farmed by Kevin Watt and James Downes, with wines made by Gordon and Nadia Newton Johnson under a philosophy of minimal intervention.
Black is drawn from the Mount Bullet vineyard, three hectares of east-facing slope at 260–300 metres on Table Mountain sandstone over kaolin clay. The vineyard is divided into five parcels, each planted to a different clone, picked separately as much as two weeks apart, and vinified in isolation to capture what each one contributes. In a given year, the clone that expresses something singular is kept apart and hand-bottled in tiny quantity. Natural ferment, two punch-downs daily, twenty-two months in Bordeaux barriques — half new, half second-fill, tighter grain and medium toast. Ripe red and black fruit, earthy complexity, tannins seductive rather than insistent. A serious Merlot from one of the Cape's most distinctive cool-climate sites.
ABV: 14.5%
Vol: 75cl
Allergens: Contains sulphites
