De Trafford Merlot 2015, South Africa

De Trafford Winery, located in Stellenbosch and established in 1992 by David Trafford, produces around 45,000 bottles of wine annually. David, who has a background as an architect, started the winery with his wife Rita on Mont Fleur. Trafford wines are renowned for their rich and concentrated flavour profile. A vertical tasting of de Trafford Cabernet Sauvignon from 1993 to 2005 revealed that the 1993 vintage was still both tasty and ripe. The de Trafford Shiraz 2008 was named South African Red Wine of the Year by Platter in 2011 and has garnered international acclaim, including 92 points from Wine Advocate for the 2007 de Trafford Shiraz, as well as 90 points for the 2006 de Trafford Elevation 393, 2010 de Trafford Chenin Blanc and 2008 de Trafford Blueprint Shiraz.

The famous wines of Pomerol in Bordeaux, France, are almost entirely Merlot, such as Le Pin and Chateaux Petrus, which sell for thousands of rand per bottle. Since 1992, we have produced a Merlot every year, inspired by our experiences in St. Emilion in Bordeaux in 1989 and our clayey soil, which is perfect for this grape variety. We often add a little Cabernet Franc or Cabernet Sauvignon, but the wine often stands strong on its own.

About half of the grapes come from our own vineyard, while the rest come from our neighbor, Keermont, which has similar soil conditions. Our Merlot has excellent aging ability, and our last bottle from 1992 was still tasty in 2017. We release the wine when it is about 5 years old, close to its optimal drinking time, and most vintages develop well for up to 12-15 years.