We’re uncorking our
new blog with an interesting piece from Cloof, the outstanding South African
winemaker. If you’re not familiar
with Cloof, here’s a little background to what makes their wines so good:
How Cloof began…
Vineyards were first planted at Cloof in 1966, with
additional plantings in 1976 and 1987. In that time Darling, adjacent to the
Swartland, was better known as a wheat farming region. A cellar was completed
in time for the 1998 harvest, which allowed the first release of Cloof wines during
the course of 1999. The vineyard area has been significantly increased, with
plantings every year from 1998 to 2000, bringing the total to 145 hectares. The
220 hectares of vineyards at neighbouring Burghers Post are under the same
ownership, giving us unparalleled access to (and control over) top quality
fruit.
In 2003 Darling was declared a wine region in its own right
in recognition of the unique style and quality of wines grown here.
The prevailing south-easterly wind protects the fruit from
rot, and at night cloaks the vineyards in chilly, flavour-preserving air blown
in from the Atlantic Ocean. The bush vines provide a canopy which shades the
grapes from direct sunlight. The smaller crop results in smaller berries with
thicker skins, and much more concentrated flavours.
Cloof 's First Ever 100% Merlot
The Cloof Merlot 2011 is a full bodied wine with a deep dark
red colour and an intense nose of forest berries and violets. This Merlot grape
was grown under extreme weather conditions from shy bearing bush vines,
yielding only two tons per hectare.
Barrel maturation took place for 15 months in French oak of
which 65% was new, giving the wine a classic, well-balanced tannin structure.
A True "Darling by origin, Darling by nature"
creation.
The history of Merlot…
The earliest recorded mention of Merlot was in the notes of
a local Bordeaux official who in 1784
labelled wine made from the grape in the
lbournais region as one of the area’s best. The name comes from the Occitan
word ‘merlot’ which means young blackbird. ‘Merle’ is the French for several
kind of thrushes including blackbirds. The names was thought to have been given
either because of the grape’s beautiful dark blue colour of the blackbirds’
fondness for grapes!