ISA-42 2021
In short this is a 100% Merlot from the Helderberg - Stellenbosch. The resurrection of one of the first BLANKBOTTLE wines - in its original uniform. The Story The first ever troop to proudly display the ever-so-simple original gangster BLANKBOTTLE badge of identity, was a wine called 343. The label was a simple, gray font backed by a humble, self adhesive small sticker. In those early foundation-laying years of BLANKBOTTLE we played around with Merlot quite a bit. I then took a 10 year Merlot sabbatical, but the varietal’s been bugging me throughout. I like the power but then… I do like finesse. Not easy to find in South Africa. In 2020 the penny finally dropped. I realized that whenever I liked one, it came from a vineyard that grows in weathered granitic soil. It is not as if you can taste the weathered granite in the wine. Weathered granite is lighter soil with very little clay content - therefore well-drained, warmer marginal soil which results in harsher growing conditions. Conditions the farmer needs to manage carefully - and THAT is what you taste in the wine: a coalition of soil and viticulture. In 2020 I found it. High on the Helderberg, on the border of Somerset West - full-on weathered granite. This is the 2021 vintage of BLANKBOTTLE ISA-42 - a solid, structured and serious expression. I decided to go with the original packaging! The little black number! Technical InformationCultivar: MerlotVintage: 2021Region: StellenboschAmount of Bottles Produced: 1555
Vineyard: VSP trellis vineyards exposed to the South Easter, located on the edge of Somerset West planted in Decomposed Granite at 240m above sea level.
Winemaking: The grapes were picked at optimal ripeness and cooled overnight to 4 degrees celsius. The next morning the grapes were destemmed to open top fermenters. The juice underwent spontaneous fermentation and stayed on the skins for as long as possible. Pressed into French oak small barrels 40% new, 18 months in barrel, blended and bottled.
Alcoholic Strenght: 14.5% / volAcidity: 4.65 g/lPH: 3.72Reducing Sugar: 1.7 g/lFree SO2: 21 mg/lTotal SO2: 71 mg/lVolatile Acidity: 0.8 g/lClosure: Natural CorkVegan: YesVoice recordingHow to order
Please note
Due to the many small batches of wines we make, availability changes on a daily basis. Please email aneen@blankbottle.co.za if you’d like to order any of our wines or if you are looking for a specific wine, and she will reply with a list of wines now selling. If the wine you are looking for is sold out, we could suggest some alternative excitement and/or we could also put together a unique selection for you.
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