DEMORGENZON

Sexy subtle perfume of peach and dusty nutmeg. Then saline, tightly coiled and very concentrated, conveying a lovely sweetness but also terrific inner-mouth energy to the stone and soft citrus fruits. Finishes firmly phenolic but not at all dry. This wine fermented naturally in the barrel, and was then aged for eight months in one-third new French oak. This is the only vineyard the Appelbaums kept when they purchased the estate in 2004. ‘They were bush vines; we simply lifted their skirts,’ said Wendy Appelbaum. Rating: 91 Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar (Aug 2015)

Produced entirely from DeMorgenzon’s own 43 year-old bush vine Chenin Blanc grapes grown in weathered granite soils, the DeMorgenzon Reserve Chenin Blanc 2014 was noted for its fresh and vibrant offering of apple and camomile, and the seamless integration of its elements. The grapes for the DeMorgenzon Reserve Chenin Blanc 2014 were picked in four different passes in order to achieve optimum ripeness and balance in the final wine. The grapes were handpicked in the early morning hours, with bunch selection done in the vineyard. Fermentation occurred naturally in French oak barrels (25% new) using indigenous yeasts and the DeMorgenzon Reserve Chenin Blanc 2014 was thereafter aged on its lees in barrel for 11 months, without any topping or batonage.Winemaker's notes (Jul 2015)

The DeMorgenzon Reserve Chenin Blanc 2014 was awarded the Stellenbosch Chenin Blanc Trophy, the South African Chenin Blanc Trophy and the coveted International Chenin Blanc Trophy.International Wine Challenge 2015 (Jun 2015)