Winemaker Notes
The Keermont Merlot 2016 has a deep ruby red colour. Ripe red fruit and liqueur cherry aromas are complimented by classic dusty herb and thatch notes. The palate is dense, but soft. The wine shows good weight with dusty savoury fruit character. Chalky tannins and good natural acid help to maintain a fresh elegance and a long, succulent dry finish.
Blend: 86% Merlot; 7%Malbec; 7% Cabernet Sauvignon
Pair this wine alongside red meat, pasta and pizza.
Professional Ratings
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Minty with fynbos nuances on the nose, aromas of sage and fern waft out of the glass of the 2016 Merlot, with a focus on plum and dark berry tones with soft oak spices. The palate is expressive with a soft smoky tone and espresso bean that lingers through to the mid-palate, showing a focused structure, energetic acidity and balanced tannins. Medium to full-bodied, the wine is focused and lingers long with precision and subtle green flavors. This is a delicious Merlot.
With generous fruit and supple tannins, Merlot is made in a range of styles from everyday-drinking to world-renowned and age-worthy. Merlot is the dominant variety in the wines from Bordeaux’s Right Bank regions of St. Emilion and Pomerol, where it is often blended with Cabernet Franc to spectacular result. Merlot also frequently shines on its own, particularly in California’s Napa Valley. Somm Secret—As much as Miles derided the variety in the 2004 film, Sideways, his prized 1961 Château Cheval Blanc is actually a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc.
South Africa’s most famous wine-producing district, Stellenbosch, surrounds the historic town with the same name; fine winemaking here dates back to the late 1600s. Its valleys of granite, sandstone and alluvial loam soils between the towering blue-grey mountains of Stellenbosch, Simonsberg and Helderberg have the capacity to produce beautiful wines from many varieties. The climate is warm Mediterranean, tempered by the cool Atlantic air of nearby False Bay.
Perhaps most well-known for its Pinotage and Bordeaux blends, Stellenbosch also produces noteworthy wines from Syrah, Chenin blanc, Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc. The district’s wards—Banghoek, Bottelary, Devon Valley, Jonkershoek Valley, Papegaaiberg, Polkadraai Hills and Simonsberg-Stellenbosch—all produce distinctive wines from vines with relatively low yields.