Aaldering - Cabernet Sauvignon - Merlot 2012
Pairing Suggestions
This is a great blend from South Africa / Aaldering – Cabernet Sauvignon – Merlot 2012 (86 points)
In the glass a deep dark red color.
In the nose smokey with aromas of black currants, strawberries, plums and dark chocolate with a light peppery hint.
On the palate a solid wine with black pepper and cedar spices in the background, slightly grippy tannins. Good structure, great acidity, smooth and depth of flavor. Still young and over 5 years this will even be better.
Winemaking Report:
2012 was a challenging vintage with early rains and cold weather during the second part of flowering but turned out to be a lovely cool season with great colour and flavour production. Hot weather in January played a big part in creating concentrated wines with beautiful fruit aromatics. February and March saw cooler weather and apart from flowering time there was very little rain throughout the season resulting in a healthy crop. Good irrigation management was a necessity and because of the dry weather conditions 2012 was a smaller crop than 2011. Both cultivars were vinified separately, receiving different treatments according to grapes phenolic profile. Pump overs occurred 4 times throughout a 24 hour period. Natural malolactic fermentation took place in stainless steel tanks. The wines were then aged separately in 225 liter French oak barrels (Barrique Bordelaise) for 25 months (35% new oak). Assemblage was decided upon, with the blend being 60% Cabernet Sauvignon and 40% Merlot, these proportions were chosen after a thorough blending trial process. Aging Potential Potential aging between 10-15 years. Bottled with a natural cork closure, in order to ensure a unique aging capacity.
Ideal serving temperature between 16-18°C/61-64°F.
Food Matches Rib-eye, lamb, green bell pepper, grilled vegetables, Mediterranean spices, garlic twists, mint.
Wineproducer: www.aaldering.co.za