VINEYARDS
The vineyards producing the Peacock Ridge range of wines are cultivated on the lower slopes of our Waterkloof estate. The estate vineyards are planted
at a height of between 200 and 290 metres above sea level on the slopes of the Schapenberg in Somerset West. To the south they overlook the broad sweep of False Bay and the southern Atlantic shoreline about 5 kilometres away. The soils are of sandstone origin with medium sized stones, which aid drainage and moisture retention. All the vineyards on Waterkloof are cultivated under dry land conditions, with supplementary irrigation available in very dry years. The average ages of vines are between 10 and 12 years. Strong south-easterly winds during the growing season help to control growth and naturally limit yields.
THE 2006/07 GROWING SEASON
After several dry winters we had very good rains and cold weather throughout the winter period. Spring and early summer were the coolest in years, which is very positive for flavour development on the white wines, and colour and
structure on the reds. Due to the heat wave in late January, bunches from the Merlot vineyards formed a lot of raisins. This was due to the loss of moisture during the warm period. We had to harvest these blocks twice over to ensure that only the bunches unaffected by the heat were picked to make Peacock Ridge.
WINEMAKING
The Merlot vineyards were harvested towards the end of February at sugar levels of 25 Balling. The grapes were de-stemmed and fermented in stainless steel. A combination of “delestage” and pump-over techniques was used during fermentation to maximise colour and tannin extraction. The wine spent 15 days on the skins after fermentation to help integrate the tannins and stabilise colour. A gentle pressing was used to separate the skins from the juice. All the wines go through malolactic fermentation in barrel, while 10% of the wine was aged in new French barrels, and the rest mainly in third and fourth-fill French barrels, for ten months. The wine spent a further six to eight months in bottle before release. 10% of Cabernet Franc was blended into the wine to add more complexity.
TASTING NOTES
Deep, dense and youthful colour with aromas of cassis, cedar wood, smoke and herbal notes. On the palate the Peacock Ridge Merlot has dark black fruit up front, a touch of mocha, liquorice and tar, balanced by fine yet seductive tannins. A wine with weight, concentration and a long complex finish.
TASTING NOTES
Alc: 14.5%
TA: 5.9g/l
pH: 3.52
RS: 2.1g/l
VA: 0.65
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