Meerlust Estate, having first planted Merlot in the early 1970s, produced the first Meerlust Estate Merlot in 1984. Packaged under a unique gold label, it has been affectionately referred to by lovers of this wine as the 'Meerlust Gold'.
The Meerlust 2023 vintage began with a growing season that was mild and dry which was largely beneficial for early and mid ripening varieties. It also limited berry size and yields which benefited our red varieties. The area experienced a cool ripening period in general, that aided early cultivars but could be problematic for late ripening varieties. We however saw rapid flavour development and the vast majority of our vineyards were harvested before the rains began in all earnest. This resulted in bright flavourful wines that show good levels of extraction at good pH and acidity levels.
This vintage is 100% Merlot. It is made up of a few individual parcels that are all fermented separately before undergoing malolactic fermentation in 300 L barrels. After 6 months in barrel, the final components were selected and blended and put back to barrel for 12 months in 40% new French oak for further maturation before bottling
It offers notes of brooding ripe black plum, dark cherry, dried herbs underpinned by dark chocolate and oak spice. The palate offers a concentrated dark fruit core, balanced with a lifted acidity while still delicate on the finish. This wine shows the balance, intensity and fruit purity of the 2023 vintage and as with all Merlot’s from the estate, will age gracefully and will gain in complexity and suppleness of tannin for many years to come.
A wine that will definitely benefit from additional cellaring, five to ten years recommended.
The Meerlust Merlot 2023 is priced at R470 per bottle, and will be available to ship from 2 July 2025.
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13 May 2025 – a date that will remain a highlight – Meerlust hosted a masterclass to celebrate 50 years of Estate wine. This tasting was made up of two flights of wines, the first a flight of the Meerlust Cabernet Sauvignon which included the Estate's maiden vintage, Meerlust Cabernet Sauvignon 1975. This was followed by the second flight, which featured Rubicon from its first commercial vintage of 1980.
Truly a moment of pride for Hannes Myburgh and his team to show the wines his father, Nico Myburgh, envisioned would one day stand up to the best of the world. The masterclass, held in the underground cellars of Berry Brothers and Rudd, showcased wines from all three Meerlust cellarmasters – Giorgio Dalla Cia, Chris Williams, and Wim Truter.
Our tasting room is open to receive visitors from Monday to Friday from 09h00 to 17h00, and on Saturdays and public holidays from 10h00 to 15h00. Please note that we are closed on Sundays, New Year's Day, Good Friday, Christmas Day and Boxing Day.
For bookings, please email tasting@meerlust.co.za.
