"Tim Atkin MW 90 Points
The bright nose displays fine Chenin attributes of floral and citrus aromas. The crisp, refreshing palate has succulence and weight providing a finish with texture and good length."
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.
Famous for their ‘Maestro’ blends and Reserve Chenin Blanc; since 2008 Baroque music has been piped into the vineyards all day, every day. The effects of sound and music on plant growth is an intriguing subject, the energy of the sound waves rather than the sounds themselves serving to stimulate and nurture the growing vines. A number of experiments have taken place over time which assess these claims and the effects, though in their statistical infancy, point towards an increase in vigour, root growth and general vine health. Once the harvest has completed and the wines have been placed into barrel, music is again streamed throughout DeMorgenzon’s cellars, surrounding the wines in rich sound waves, permeating the oak and steel as they travel, with every single note.
Nowhere else in South Africa is the marriage of music and the fruit of the vine taken so seriously, no doubt influenced by owners Wendy and Hylton Appelbaum (who was responsible for the creation of Classic FM South Africa back in 1997).
A mild but wet winter ensured optimal soil conditions moving into the growing season. A relatively cool spring, interspersed with some rain, led to a delayed bud break and in some isolated instances uneven flowering. Some warm weather in January helped alleviate any early season unevenness and the continued moderate weather the farm experienced meant that the harvest was progressing at an even pace and that the winery team was able to give the utmost attention to each parcel arriving at the winery
Cool, early morning harvested grapes were destemmed, crushed, then pressed and the juice settled until clear. Fermentation occurred spontaneously without the addition of commercial yeasts in a combination of stainless steel tanks and old French oak barrels. The resulting wines were racked and sulphured prior to blending and the final blend left on fine yeast lees for maturation until bottling.
