CATHY MARSHALL AMATRA RED 2019/20

PHILOSOPHY:
To create a complex, mouth filling wine from ripened clusters with purple fruit opulence and restrained tannin structure in cool climate conditions. Optimal vine ripeness and canopy management are key to producing seamless a Merlot that is perfectly suited to specific cooler slopes in Stellenbosch.

VINEYARDS:
Old Merlot vines are grown on deep Hutton soils on resistant rootstock, as Merlot is particularly heat sensitive and are trellised on a single wire fence system facing east. Stringent canopy management is implemented, as the vigour of crop and leaf canopy is high. Clusters are hand-picked mid-March in small batches of 17kg.

WINEMAKING:
Clusters were de-stemmed and partially crushed after stringent sorting to remove unwanted berries and other matter. Spontaneous fermentation occurred in small fermentation vats for fourteen days and once primary fermentation was completed, the mash was pressed in a small basket press. The wine was then decanted to small
French oak casks for secondary malo-lactic fermentation and left to mature for 12 months. The final barrel selection was made and taken through a light filtration prior to bottling.