Muratie Alberta Annemarie Merlot 2019

The grapes were handpicked, yielding 5 tons per hectare. They were then crushed, destalked and pumped into traditional open fermenters. Pump-overs and punch downs were done at regular intervals. The wine was matured in French oak barrels for 16 months.

The Muratie Merlot was harvested from two North West facing blocks on the estate. The vines were planted in 1990 and 2003 at an elevation of 280 m above sea level. The Table Mountain sandstone soil provides good moisture to these dry-land vineyards. All the vines are grafted on Richter 99 rootstocks.

This wine is perfect to enjoy now. It can be aged for a further five years.

Merlot

This wine pairs well with beef steak, chunky fries and a garden salad.

91 Points – Tim Atkin Report 2022

Muratie is a historic wine farm in the Simonsberg ward. Owned by the Melck family since 1763, at Muratie they take pride in offering hand crafted wines, instructive and tutored tastings, home cooked food, and challenging mountain bike tracks all in a stunning setting. At Muratie, the passion for preserving their rich heritage, and the wonderful human stories that are woven into the very fabric of our history, are matched only by the way in which they produce their fine wines. The wine industry has evolved rapidly in recent years, bringing with it some necessary advances and, sadly, losing at times some of the skill that makes winemaking the enigmatic endeavor that sets it apart in a modern world of mass production. At Muratie they are at pains to balance this blend of tradition and evolution to ensure that they continue producing the same classic wines for which they have become internationally renowned for. Muratie still handpicks all their grapes as they believe this gives them a better understanding of the quality of the harvest even before they start extracting the juice. Not content with that, they then hand select the grapes on a sorting table - ensuring that only the best bunches are used in the winemaking. Even the way they extract the juice is considered. A 3-ton open pneumatic bed presses the grapes, using a rubber membrane. They believe this is the gentlest method, avoiding mechanical crushing and grinding of the skins and seeds. Throughout the process - from fermenting to bottling - they use a balance of winemaker's intuition, time-honored processes and contemporary best practice. Even the vineyards themselves are kept pest-free by ever-vigilant flocks of ducks and geese, avoiding the need for environmentally insensitive pesticides. If you wish to witness how wine is made in the truest sense, you are invited to visit them at the farm.