Tanagra Heavenly Chaos 2020
A deliciously quaffable Merlot blend – the perfect summer or lunch red wine.
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Our Heavenly Chaos owes its name to the fact that it is not a ‘designed’ blend but is opportunistic in the sense that we blend the Merlot, on which it is based, with whatever is left in the barrels after bottling our other wines. This accounts for the ‘chaos’ part in its name as this blend has a different composition every year though it’s always led by our (Single Vineyard) Merlot. It is ‘heavenly’ because it always results in an extremely smooth and quaffable and yet serious wine. The 2020 vintage consists of Merlot (70%) and Cabernet Franc (30%). It is perfect to enjoy now or within the next 6-7 years. |
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| Vintage | 2020 | |
| Vineyard | Merlot: South facing vineyard at Tanagra (McGregor)bordering Vrolijkheid Nature Reserve, slightly sandy and clay soil. Registered as Single Vineyard. | |
| Vines | 2 ha planted in 1998, Rootstock 101/14. 8000 number of vines trellised in a South row direction on a 5 wire system | |
| Yield | 3 tons/ha | |
| Vinification | Early morning hand selected harvest to optimize grape quality at 23.5 ballings. Hand-sorting of grapes before destemming. Whole berries are pumped into open top fermenter (without any green stems) and macerated there for about 4 days on the skins, allowing cooled grapes to extract colour and phenolic compounds prior to primary fermentation. Fermentation through natural (wild) yeast as soon as grapes reach room temperature. Punching down of fermenting must 3 times a day until fermentation is completed. Fermentation on the skins until about zero ballings. Gentle pressing of skins and malolactic fermentation in 225 litre neutral French oak casks for 14 months. Done with minimal interference through vinification, sediment may occur. | |
| analysis | 13.0 % Alc., PH 3.47, RS 2.3 g/l, TA 6.3 g/l | |
| Tasting notes | Dry, with big fruit (ripe plum and cassis) flavours and herbal aftertaste. Smooth and rounded tannins. "Luscious yet refined merlot & cab franc" (Platter's Guide). | |
| Ratings |
Platter's 4 Stars, Tim Atkin 90 Points |
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| Cases produced | 1000 cases (x 6 bottles) | |