2019 Alberta Annemarie Merlot, Muratie

Velvet Heiress

This is Merlot with softness, history and a deep Cape glow. It opens with ripe plum, black cherry and mulberry, before cocoa, cinnamon, toasted hazelnut, mixed herbs and a gentle earthy note begin to gather. The wine was matured for 12 months in French oak, giving it warmth and polish without losing its supple fruit.

The palate is full, smooth and generous, with ripe dark fruit, soft spice and rounded tannins carried by fresh acidity. It feels plush and comforting, but not heavy, with enough backbone and length to suggest this is Merlot with both charm and staying power.

For when you want a red with velvet texture, Cape history and easy dinner-table grace.
Pairs with roast lamb, steak, mushroom pie, beef stew, venison, hard cheeses, aubergine parmigiana, or a Sunday roast with proper gravy.
If this wine were… a person, it would be a fiercely independent Cape heiress, elegant, warm-hearted and still riding out long after everyone else had gone home.

Muratie is one of South Africa’s oldest wine estates, dating back to 1685 and set in the Knorhoek Valley north of Stellenbosch. The Alberta Annemarie Merlot pays tribute to Alberta Annemarie Canitz, one of the Cape’s early female wine-farm owners, remembered for her independence, character and deep connection to Muratie’s story.