DeMorgenzon Maestro Blue Rhône Blend 2021

Fruit was carefully hand sorted and naturally fermented, whole berry. Post fermentation maceration was allowed for two weeks, followed by gentle pressing. Maturation was for a total of 18 months in French oak, in a selection of 300 litre casks and 3000 litre Foudres. The wine was bottled with minimal fining and a minimal filtration.

These vineyards are situated on the farm DeMorgenzon in the Stellenbosch kloof. Soils are mostly weathered granite which gives the resultant wines a natural exuberance and youthful vigour. The trellised vineyards are managed to ensure natural high acidity and full flavour concentration. 2019 was a cooler vintage than the previous hot and dry years. Whilst the vineyards benefited from decent winter rainfall there were some latent stress effects from the previous year’s drought conditions. This resulted in some uneven budding and careful harvesting was necessary to achieve a total pick of optimum ripeness. Cool conditions during the early part of the ripening resulted in high acidities and low pH, resulting in wines that are fresh, precise and bright.

This wine drinks well now, however, can be aged for up to 5 - 7 years if stored in the correct conditions.

46% Syrah 20% Grenache Noir 19% Petite Sirah 15% Mourvedré

This wine pairs well with meaty dishes such as steak or spicy curries.

• 91 Points WineMag Red Blend Report 2022

DeMorgenzon, ‘the morning sun,’ was so named as it is the first part of the Stellenboschkloof valley to see the sun because of its high altitude and aspects. We cover the top southern and eastern slopes of Ribbokkop, overlooking the pinnacle of Kanonkop from where a cannon was fired to alert the farms in the region that a ship had put into Table Bay. The first road from Cape Town to Stellenbosch ran through the Stellenbosch Kloof.