Frans Malan Reserve
This Cape Blend is named after Frans Malan, the founder of Simonsig and the patriarch of the Malan family.
Tasting Notes
The wine is velvet red in color. On the nose there is a burst of brambleberry and dark cherry with touches of vanilla and pencil shavings. The palate has a pleasant freshness to it that carries the fruit for a lingering finish. The wine has a medium structure with rounded tannins.
Vintage Notes
The 2017 vintage was a challenging one that led to a smaller, but very promising harvest for the Stellenbosch region. The Cape’s drought conditions, and dry warm weather produced grapes with small berries with great fruit intensity and big concentration. The cooler nights and warmer days during the ripening period resulted in grapes with excellent color and fruit formation.
Winemaking
All grapes were hand-picked and sorted in the vineyard. All the different batches had a two-day cold maceration before fermentation commenced. The Pinotage spent a total of six days on the skins before pressing, with regular punch downs occurring after inoculation. The Cabernet Sauvignon spent a total of 20 days on the skins. Pump-overs were done 3 -4 times a day during peak fermentation. The Merlot fermentation lasted 9 days with pump-overs being done three times daily. Malolactic fermentation occurred in a combination of tank and barrel.
Technical Information
- Vintage:
- 2017
- Alcohol:
- 14.5%
- Region:
- Stellenbosch
- RS:
- 3.1G/L
- Varietals:
- 66% Pinotage, 28% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Merlot
- PH:
- 3.67
Accolades
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