Tasting Notes
Colour: Beautifully golden, with green hue.
Nose: Starting off ripe and fresh, with notes of apricot, pineapple and litchi, hidden aromas of banana, butter, caramel, and zippy citrus, quince and lime then come to the fore.
Palate: Very well poised, perfectly integrated oaking with balanced ripeness and minerality zing off each other. Melt in the mouth acidity has great staying power and adds a well crafted focus and length.
Ageing Potential
The winemaker punts this vintage as having all the makings of a great partner to Morgenster red blend in terms of age-ability, with a bright future ahead of it.
Blend Information
51% Sauvignon Blanc, 49% Semillon
Food Suggestions
This is a versatile wine, delicious on its own, yet enhancing a wide range of food. It pairs well with seafood, goat’s cheese, oysters, grilled fish, sushi, pasta, pesto and mixed salads and will reward serving with salmon, seared tuna and mussels cooked in white wine.
In The Vineyard
The third vintage of Morgenster White is blended from Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon grown in the Schaapenberg area within one kilometre of the Morgenster cellar door. The Sauvignon Blanc comes from western facing vines on decomposed granite while the Semillon is from north-north-west facing older vines on decomposed granite.
Vineyards: Stellenbosch
Region: Helderberg ward
Vintage Conditions: The 2012 winter was much colder and wetter than usual, delaying bud burst for about two weeks. This was followed by a drier warmer November and the warmest December in 48 years. January and February were wetter than usual but the greater variation between day and night temperatures positively impacted on grape quality during the ripening period.
In The Cellar
Barrel choice and barrel age split were critical. The wine was 10 months in barrel with bottling being done on 12 February 2014. Limited to 5900 bottles, the 2013 vintage is expected to sell out early as in previous years.
Detail of oaking:
Barrel choice was critical in enabling us to achieve our objective new oak 30%
2nd fill 25%
7th fill 45%
Additional Information
Morgenster White 2013 continues to be made in a classic Bordeaux style to complement what people expect from a Morgenster red blend: elegance now, with concentration and more complexity to follow and longevity as a result.
