DeMorgenzon Reserve Chardonnay 2015
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Decanter
Delectable aromas of buttery toast and marmalade with a mineral touch of flint. The palate is bold, rich and full-bodied. Pear, tangerine and lime marmalade fruit flavours intertwine with creamy oatmeal and cashew nuts. The finish adds some honey and spice to an elegant chalky finish.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2015 Reserve Chardonnay is all estate fruit from a single block that undergroes a barrel selection. It has a showstopping bouquet, the 18-20% new oak nicely integrated, subtle patisserie scents infusing the citrus fruit, hints of shaved almond and nutmeg emerging with time. The palate is fresh on the entry with crisp acidity, a tang or orange rind and a long and precise, marine-tinged finish. This is a strong follow-up to the 2013.
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Wine Enthusiast
Pleasant scents of toasted apple and peach pit lead the nose of this rich yet well-balanced wine, with additional notes of grilled pineapple and fresh straw. The medium-weight palate is plush and creamy, yet it offers ample acidity to lift the wine's richness and ripe fruit flavors. Spiced orange, lemon custard and fresh honeycomb all grace the long, evolving finish. Drink now–2020.
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Wine Spectator
Racy and long, with a lovely matchstick note weaving in and around the core of yellow apple, white peach and straw flavors, while pretty honeysuckle and verbena details fill in the background. Reveals a kiss of toast through the finish. Delicious.
Other Vintages
2017-
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James
Suckling
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De Morgenzon is Dutch for "the morning sun," a fitting name for this boutique property high on the Stellenboschkloof, which is the first to be touched by the rising sun's rays. De Morgenzon's high altitude vineyards command sweeping views of Table Mountain and Cape Point, where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet. Embracing the philosophy that a biodiverse and ecologically sensitive environment produces infinitely better grapes, proprietors Wendy and Hylton Appelbaum have established De Morgenzon as a 91 hectare garden interspersed with 55 hectares of carefully tended vineyards, where abundant wildflowers flourish between the vines. The vineyards are currently farmed naturally, and the estate is in the process of converting to organic farming.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
South Africa’s most famous wine-producing district, Stellenbosch, surrounds the historic town with the same name; fine winemaking here dates back to the late 1600s. Its valleys of granite, sandstone and alluvial loam soils between the towering blue-grey mountains of Stellenbosch, Simonsberg and Helderberg have the capacity to produce beautiful wines from many varieties. The climate is warm Mediterranean, tempered by the cool Atlantic air of nearby False Bay.
Perhaps most well-known for its Pinotage and Bordeaux blends, Stellenbosch also produces noteworthy wines from Syrah, Chenin blanc, Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc. The district’s wards—Banghoek, Bottelary, Devon Valley, Jonkershoek Valley, Papegaaiberg, Polkadraai Hills and Simonsberg-Stellenbosch—all produce distinctive wines from vines with relatively low yields.