Morgenster Estate Reserve 2009 magnum

Colour: Opaque centre with vibrant darker red edges.
Nose: More austere upfront. Cabernet Sauvignon leads the first impressions, as lead pencil, cigar box and cassis sweetness start to become distinct.
Palate: Elegant and mouth filling at the same time. Sweeter dark berry fruit is very evident and contributes well to balancing the minerality which adds a lot of weight. Velvety tannins have a firmness and focus to the end. Beautiful balance and great finesse to round off a stunner of a vintage

Because of the different varieties in the blend there is considerable scope in matching food to this wine. Classic and robust beef, game and lamb roasts and stews pair well. Strong cheeses like Camembert, Brie and Roquefort balance the tannins in the wine. Other good matches are couscous, tandoori spices and pâtés.

variety : Cabernet Sauvignon [ 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, 32% Merlot, 15% Petit Verdot, 14% Cabernet Franc ]
winemaker : Marius Lategan
wine of origin : Stellenbosch
analysis : alc : 14.15 % vol  rs : 1.4 g/l  pH : 3.66  ta : 6.3 g/l  
type : Red  style : Dry  body : Full  taste : Herbaceous   wooded
pack : Bottle  size : 1500ml  closure : Cork  

AWARDS
Platter Guide - 4½ stars
Robert Parker's The Wine Advocate: 91 points

ageing : This wine will really appreciate a bit of air up front. Restrained and sometimes quite closed at first. This already is a sign of age to come. The 2008 is pacing itself, holding firm to our beliefs that it will still be going in 10 years time

in the vineyard : Vintage Conditions
A cool January with a lot of wind and False Bay influence kept day and night temperatures on the low side. February was a typically hot month. Its lasting impression however was of
the raging veld fires which wreaked havoc in the mountains and hit neighboring vineyards hard without touching Morgenster. Cool maritime influences and day/night temperature differences in March indicated good quality to come. The vintage was characterized by balanced conditions and good performance in the vineyards

Vineyard: Stellenbosch
Region: Helderberg ward

The 2008 vintage was characterised by uneven ripening, especially among red cultivars, as a result of cold rainy weather during the budding season. On the whole growth was good however, and the canopy sufficient, with warm dry weather in February resulting in excellent, slow ripening conditions, which contributed to good phenolic ripening

in the cellar : Morgenster prides itself on producing wine that can mature for a number of years and to this end oaking is of great importance in giving the expected longevity. It is however secondary to fruit performance as Morgenster’s aim is to deliver a wine that is governed by its geographical origin. The 2009 vintage on Morgenster was a stunner following good harvest conditions and vineyards which yielded pristine fruit. The result in the Morgenster 2009 flagship is an elegant, bold wine when compared with the Estate’s second label, Lourens River Valley of the same vintage, which has a softer, more feminine presentation.

The quality of both these Bordeaux reds is exceptional. For the first time they are being accompanied by the launch of Morgenster’s long awaited white, a 2011 Sauvignon Blanc/Semillon blend in the classic Bordeaux style.

Maturation: 18 months in French oak, 60% 1st fill, 20% 2nd fill, 20% 3rd fill. | Extract: 32.54g/l

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OTHER VINTAGES

Cabernet Sauvignon