Thursday 19 December 2013

TN : Big Easy Red 2011, Ernie Els Wines, Stellenbosch, South Africa


This wine is a blend of 61% Shiraz, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Grenache, 4% Mourvedre, 4% Viognier, and 4% Cinsault. The pH is 3.68, residual sugar is 3.7 grammes per litre, and total acidity is 6.2 grammes per litre.


The Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon grapes were sourced from the Helderberg region within the Stellenbosch appellation. The Grenache and Cinsaut were picked from rare, 40 year-old vines from Piekenierskloof on the West Coast. The Mourvèdre and Viognier were delivered from neighbouring Stellenbosch vineyards. The grapes were hand-picked in the cool of early morning during February and March, 2011. The average sugar was 25.2° Brix at harvest.

On the sorting table, all excess stalks and rotten berries were removed carefully by hand. Grape bunches were gently destalked with a Bucher de-stalker and lightly crushed. Fermentation took place in seven ton, open-top stainless steel tanks with yeast WE 372 being added to the juice. The wines were pumped-over and punched-down manually 5 times per day ensuring maximum colour extraction from the skins. After primary fermentation the maceration period was 10 to16 days before pressing. Each variety was maturated separately (micro-vinified) in oak barrels before blending and eventual bottling.
 
This wine was imported by The WineAgency Sweden AB.

Colour : Dark red, blue hues

Aroma : Burnt toast, blackberry, blackcurrant, herbs, tobacco

Taste : Prickly, spicy, coca cola, liqourice, burnt toast, herbs, blackcurrant, blackberry

Alcohol : 14.5%

Price : 159 SEK

Systembolaget Number : 72891

Mark : C+

Website : Ernie Els wines

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