Origin
Close to the cooling False Bay in Stellenbosch. Soils are decomposed granite at around 300 metres altitude. Grapes are selected from low yielding vines planted in 1972, originally bush vines, but these days lifted onto trellises. Only the best bunches and selected lots make it into the Reserve blend.
Grape Variety
100% Chenin Blanc.
Pickings were undertaken over 4 separate occasions, with on site bunch selections made. All hand picked in the cool early morning hours. The juice was rested overnight before a natural yeast ferment in French oak barrels of which 25% were new. The wine was then aged on lees for 11 months, but without any lees stirring.
Alcohol Percentage
14%
Cellar Potential
Drink now and over the next 5 years.
Producer
DeMorgenzon is a rapidly rising star of South Africa, let alone Stellenbosch. Attention to detail and perfectionist standards have elevated DeMorgenzon’s reputation since Hylton and Wendy Applebaum’s acquisition of the estate in 2003. Carle van der Merwe joined as head winemaker in 2010 - and although already highly regarded, it has been his working partnership with farm manager Danie de Waal that has taken quality to a new level.
Translated, DeMorgenzon means simply ‘the morning sun’ and was so named because it is the first part of the Stellenboschkloof Valley to see the sun due to its high altitude and aspect. The vineyards cover the top southern and eastern slopes of Ribbokkop, overlooking the pinnacle of Kanonkop from where a cannon was fired to alert the farms in the region that a ship had put into Table Bay.
Food Match
Would work well with a sweet and sour pork dish with egg fried rice, or any fuller bodied white meat dish and sauce.
In the press
Gold - International Wine Challenge 2017
Trophies (International, Stellenbosch & South Africa Chenin Blanc) - International Wine Challenge 2017
Silver Medal- International Wine and Spirit Competition 2015
"The 2016 Reserve Chenin Blanc, which will be released summer 2017, was slightly deeper in color compared to other vintages. It has a composed bouquet with nectarine, melted wax and dried pineapple scents, a touch of dandelion in the background. The palate is fresh on the entry with crisp acidity. I find more nuance and harmony here compared to the 2015, a delicacy married with intensity in the finish, a tang of clear honey on the aftertaste (although there was no botrytis in the vineyard)." - 93 Pts Neal Martin, Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate
A regular 5* performer in the definitive Platter's South African Wine Guide
Paul (verified owner) – :
Very enjoyable, perhaps not as impressive as I had expected from the awards and press reviews but very nice all the same.