The vintage of 2024 saw good winter rainfall, with a dry spring and summer. The rainfall in October to March was down almost 60% on the long term average, and this in combination with a hot summer season, resulted in a light harvest in terms of quantity, but a high quality vintage.
Our cellarmaster, Wim Truter, shares some thoughts on this year's vintage: "It started early, in fact the earliest on record on the farm, and finished in the same way – every block in fermentation tank before the cold spell in March." Wim adds, "What makes our little corner of Stellenbosch so unique is lower average rainfall than the areas up against the beautiful mountains and the lower ripening temperatures due to the strong prevailing cooling wind from False Bay in summertime. We definitely benefited from these factors in the 2023/2024 season."
"Summing up the early tastings of the 2024 wines, the team is ultimately very satisfied with the intensity that the dry season brought, while the conditions of our vineyards allowed us to retain freshness and energy in the wines. The cellar team is hard at work preparing for our round of tastings to determine the blends to come."
Our winemaking team will use the next two months to do a thorough review of the components in the cellar, which will be used for the eventual blends for both the Meerlust Estate Red and the Rubicon.
With over 50 components to consider, the selection of the best sites that create a wine with complexity, intensity and structure will be used for the Rubicon. The Rubicon blend will reflect the main terroir units of the Estate that show the unique Meerlust expression.
Wines made from the youngest vineyards and lesser sites that will not allow the same ageing potential or structure, are used for the Estate Red. The aim with the Estate Red is to produce a wine that is still synonymous with Meerlust, but for early enjoyment.
Our tasting room is open to receive visitors from Monday to Friday from 09h00 to 17h00, and on Saturdays from 09h00 to 14h00.
