Red Blend - Lourens River Valley

Lourens River Valley, the very first of the Morgenster wines made in the new state of the art cellar by Marius Lategan after he joined the team in 1999. After having been intricately involved in the design of his cellar, his very next ‘assignment’ was to spend a vintage with Pierre Lurton of Chateaux Cheval Blanc at the revered winery in Saint Emilion – “their strict management of phenolic and tannin components right from the vineyard to maturation made a life-long impression for me“ – what more could a winemaker want?

Morgenster’s exacting focus on quality combined with a specific philosophy for this wine, delivers remarkable elegance combined with terrific potential to age this wine. The philosophy behind this wine begins with vineyard selection from sites above 200m, on NW facing slopes which attract a maritime influence from False Bay which preserves the delicate Merlot fruit.

COLOUR: Plum red with a concentrated core depth demonstrates the richness of the wine.

NOSE: Aromas of black cherry, cassis, strawberry shortcake, toast and cedar.

PALATE: The entry offers sweet nuances with toasty oak, a medley of fresh ripe berries and notes of marzipan and vanilla. The oak-spice compliments the fruit and expresses a good layer of acid and tannin balance. The mouth-feel is complimented by a well textured mid-palate weight, great overall elegance without presence of clumsiness on the finish.

VINTAGE CONDITIONS: The 3rd consecutive hot vintage that emphasised the importance of being patient to gain optimum ripeness.

MATURATION: The individual cultivars were aged per clone for 15 months. Once blended, the wine was returned to barrels for a further 45 days for integration. The bottled wine spent a further nine months in the cellar before release.

WINE ANALYSIS
Alc / Vol: 14.5%
Acidity: 5.6g/l
pH: 3.6
Residual sugar: <2.5g/l
Extract: 34.35g/l

FOOD MATCHES: Most dishes incorporating Game bird, ostrich, small antelope, Karoo lamb.

Awards
John Platter: 4½
Steve Tanzer Intl Wine Cellar: 90
Robert Parker The Advocate: 89