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Eagles Nest Constantia Merlot

5,495 KShs

Subtle peppery savouriness and textured fruit purity makes this wine both: distinctive and gives testament to its origin on a cool windswept mountainside. Flavours of: mulberry, dark chocolate and tobacco adds further complexity. The palate is full and structured, with: balanced tannins and a focused, persistent mouthfeel.

Meticulous attention in the vineyard and cellar combine to produce a wine of: bright ruby colour, textured fruit purity and tantalisingly firm yet more-ish tannins. As with all Eagles’ Nest red wines, there is a subtle peppery savouriness that makes this wine both distinctive and gives testament to its origin on a cool windswept mountainside. Flavours of mulberry, dark chocolate and tobacco adds further complexity. The palate is full and structured, with balanced tannins and a focused, persistent mouthfeel.

Country: South Africa
Region: Constantia 
ABV: 13.4% vol
Suggested Food Pairings: Viognier can be a tricky wine to match up, but the richness of the wine works well with: richer proteins – think roast chicken, turkey or poached salmon. The rich and creamy texture, of: Viognier makes it an excellent pairing with creamy and buttery cheeses. Soft and creamy cheeses such as: Brie and Camembert
Remarks: The vineyard aspects range from North – East to North-West, against rugged mountain slopes, ranging from 100m to 400m above sea level. Eight blocks of Merlot are planted on different sections of Eagles’ Nest which make up a total of 4.1ha. Based on the varying altitudes and undulations of these blocks, and the different meso-climate and micro-climates the vines are exposed to, various small batches of grapes were individually picked and processed, to produce distinct and individual Merlot components. Ultimately creating a complex and layered wine. Each of the respective components were hand-picked and cooled down before processing.

Grapes were then hand sorted and crushed into various small to medium sized open top fermenters. Pump-over’s were performed three to four times per day, these practices being determined by twice daily tastings of the tanks. Following fermentation the free run wine was drawn off and the skins pressed separately. The wine was then racked into first, second and third fill French oak barrels. Six different cooperages were used, each specifically chosen to compliment the different nuances of this very complex wine. During maturation, the wine was racked twice. After 18 months in maturation, select barrels were racked to tank and blended, and allowed to harmonise before bottling in December 2021.

Eagles’ Nest, located on the crest of Constantia Nek pass, is nestled at the foot of the awe-inspiring Table Mountain. This pristine and boutique family-owned vineyard has in recent years gained a striking reputation for both its beauty and award-winning wines.

Eagles’ Nest was originally a section of Groot Constantia, the wine supplier to European nobility, established by Simon van der Stel in the late 1600’s. Eagles’ Nest’s history reveals that it operated as a commercial farm producing export fruit, as well as vegetables for the local market, up until the 1960’s. Over time the farm has had a number of owners, since 1984 it has been in the control of the Mylrea family.

Following a devastating mountain fire in 2000 which destroyed all of the natural fynbos vegetation and Protea plants, as well as approximately 95% of the forestation, it was decided to move the focus of the farm to wine. Whilst the Constantia Valley is most famous for white wines, it was felt that Eagles’ Nest, with its unique terroir within the valley, would be more suited to red wines.

With its East, West and North facing slopes it is the steepest commercially farmed land in the Cape region, if not in all of South Africa. The land is located 10.5 km from the warm False Bay coast line and is in the direct path of the summer trade wines.

Uniquely characteristic of its wines is its signature of finesse, derived from the cooler climate conditions its vines are exposed to as a result of its elevation and close proximity to the oceanic body that is False Bay, thus delivering very distinctive wines not found elsewhere in South Africa.

Quality and consistency is paramount at Eagles’ Nest. Our unique terroir, combined with meticulous attention to detail in the vineyards and cellar, yields wines that are: the epitome of elegance and balance.

The farm’s objective is to produce, consistently, wines that are quality driven every step of the way and that are a true reflection of our unique terroir 

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