Vergelegen Premium CSM

Vergelegen Premium CSM

Bright dark red. On the nose striking cassis underlined with cedar and a fresh ripe fruit character. On the palate the freshness carries through with a long-lasting aftertaste. Serve with barbecued meat, stews, pizza and pasta.

ORIGIN

Sourced from north and north-westerly vineyards at Vergelegen, Somerset West, where soil types of granite, Hutton and weathered shale dominate. The 2018/2019 growing saw the 5 year drought coming to an end . The 2019 harvest itself was warm, however, the nights were cool which is perfect for colour and flavour formation.
Harvesting of the Merlot started end of February and was completed by 18th March. The harvest was completed by the end of March.

VINIFICATION

At Vergelegen all grapes are handpicked followed by storage in a refrigerated container at -10°C for 24 hours. The cool grapes (8-10°C) are then carefully sorted on combinations of vibrating tables and slow-moving conveyors, where between 1,5-3 tons are sorted per hour. The grapes are de-stemmed but not crushed and the
grapes/must cold soaked for 7 days followed by a feral fermentation lasting 96 hours. Eventually, cultured yeast is added, and the juice fermented dry. The young red wine is now macerated on the skins for a further 32 days before going to barrel. The wine was bottled on the wine on 17 December 2019 after 18 months of barrel maturation in 20% new French oak.

COMPOSITION

63% Cabernet Sauvignon
24% Merlot
9%   Cabernet Franc
2%   Malbec
2% Petit Verdot

MATURATION

Drinking beautifully and will improve even more in the bottle over the next 5-10 years.

The climate at Vergelegen is mild due to its close proximity to the Atlantic Ocean at False Bay some six kilometres away which places the farm within the lower Region 3 according to the ‘degree days’ temperature classification. Vineyard sites range in altitude between 140m and 310m above sea level, with slopes facing north to north-west, and south to south-east.

Vergelegen was the first producer to be awarded BWI ‘Champion’ status in March 2005, having made remarkable progress with its large-scale alien clearing and fire management programme to restore 2240 hectares of their 3000 hectare Estate.

The Vergelegen winery is unlike any previously designed in South Africa, epitomising the property’s maxim: Ex Africa semper aliquid novi (Out of Africa always something new). Situated high up on a hilltop, only the top level of the multi-levelled structure is visible. With its octagonal shape mirroring the design of the historic homestead’s walled garden, originally laid out by 18th-century founder WA van der Stel, the visitor’s viewing deck and roof garden offers a 360º view of the estate, with the towering Hottentots Holland mountain peaks behind, the town of Somerset West below, the Atlantic Ocean beyond and in the distance, Table Mountain.

Best served with fillet, rib eye or lamb grilled over the coals.

To see our full range of Vergelegen wines go to the web page by clicking here

To find out more about the winery click here

Vergelegen Premium CSM