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Morgenster Lourens River Valley 2000

Colour: Strikingly fresh, concentrated and deep plum colour.
Nose: Fresh nuances of cherry, blackcurrant and liquorice carried by undertones of vanilla spice and some oak wood. A flinty, earthy, mushroom (or is it truffles) as a second nose gives one the impression of a unique, terroir-specific character rather than a certain cultivar expression.
Palate: The rather sweet nuances of the dominating Merlot component offers exactly those fruit flavours carried from the first impression. A classic style with a subtle mouth feel brought upon by the successful marriage of the components.

Pair this wine with roasted peppers, wild mushroom and truffle risotto, butternut ravioli and ripe cheese.

variety : Merlot [ 70% Merlot, 27% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc ]
winemaker : Marius Lategan
wine of origin : Stellenbosch
analysis : alc : 13.7 % vol  rs : 2.7 g/l  pH : 3.4  ta : 6.0 g/l  
type : Red  style : Dry  body : Medium  taste : Fruity   wooded
pack : Bottle  size : 0  closure : Cork  

AWARDS
British Wine Magazine: 94 points
Grape Magazine: 4½ Stars
Platter Guide 2003: 4½ Stars
Wine Magazine 2010: 4 Stars

ageing : Lovely pheonolic ripeness was achieved during harvest and the wines were crafted with soft velvety tannins that will preserve this wine.

in the vineyard : As this the third vintage of Lourens River Valley made it's way onto the shelves and into dining arenas, it is clearly the product of the Morgenster quality philosophy as well as a very clear sign of things to come from this fledgling brand. Wine production from the 40ha of exclusively Bordeaux varieties on this 200ha property has been managed from the outset with a single minded focus on producing only the very best.

Evaluation of the grapes begins in the vineyards with site selection as the first of three careful selection processes. The first selection takes place after rigorous tasting of the grapes during the ripening phase, and only the best grapes are harvested. The second takes place at the sorting table just outside the winery; every bunch is scrutinized for any flaws, and once again, only the very best bunches and berries make their way into the de-stalker. Our third selection process takes place after barrel maturation but before blending. At this stage, every barrel is tasted and evaluated in terms of its ability to carry the Morgenster credence.

A hot year with predictable powerful concentrated reds which bodes very well for the cellaring potential of our wines form this harvest.

Vineyard: Stellenbosch
Region: Helderberg Ward

in the cellar : Individual components spent 15 months in 300 litre French oak barrels, 22% new wood. The wine spent 6-months in bottle in the confines of the cellar before release.

find our wines in :

OTHER VINTAGES

Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc
Merlot
Cabernet Franc
Cabernet Franc
Merlot
Merlot
Merlot
Merlot
Merlot
Merlot
Merlot
Cabernet Sauvignon