Fluvius Reserve Merlot 2016

The ongoing drought in the Western Cape was evident with the very low rainfall we experienced in the winter of 2015. The summer started to pick up the pace in November, which then saw the temperatures sore into the 40’s during December and January. This incredibly hot and dry summer season was challenging for many grape farmers. We have the good fortune that our water supply was very adequate and with excellent vineyard management our vineyards performed very well. The harvest was earlier than usual, yet yielded higher than 2015. The quality of the grapes was very good. Interestingly the 2016 vintage is remembered for its delicate and elegant flavours compared to the bolder flavours from 2015. Both our single vineyard Syrah block, as well as the Merlot block was harvested by hand. The grapes were then sorted by hand on the sorting table, ensuring only the best grapes are used for our wines. 2016 was also the year we harvested for our reserve range, which would mature for 3 years in the best quality barrels.