Colour: Deep dark red
Palate: Sumptuously smooth with enough fine tannin to broaden the palate weight and add an extra dimension to a very fruit driven experience
Nose: Red, black and bramble berries, classic pencil shaving, graphite, cedar
Morgenster Nu Series 1 Merlot 2013 (6/case) (R98/BOTTLE)
Food Suggestions:
This wine is typically South African: friendly, inviting and accessible. Given the nature of South Africans, they like anything over a fire. So my ideal would be to pair it with roasted lamb cutlets and greens, or a lemon and herb chicken with mielie pap and smoor.
In The Vineyard:
In 2007 Morgenster started its replanting strategy by uprooting close to 50% of the then 40 ha of planted vineyard sites. This was based on a 12 year history of each vine, in line with owner Giulio Bertrand’s objective of having each vine producing Morgenster flagship quality. The Estate now has 5.5 ha of young bearing vines of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Between three and four years old, the vines have not yet reached the maturity levels required for inclusion in Morgenster’s Bordeaux blends, yet they are already showing their pedigree and presenting luscious fruit and velvety tannins. 2012 vintage will be hailed as one of the best in the Schapenberg in the recent past.
In The Cellar
Bertrand created the NU Series so consumers can experience the exuberant fruity wine style coming from these young vines in a single varietal format. Even though they were made to be enjoyed soon, they are still Morgenster wines with some typical traits you cannot get away from, one being the velvety soft tannins which broaden the palate weight and add an extra dimension to a very fruit driven experience. This palate weight will gain prominence as the vines mature and will be monitored very intently, eventually being the deciding factor as to when these vines will make the jump up to the star-studded Morgenster Bordeaux blend league. Fermentation in small stainless steel tanks with minimal extraction to allow for the pronounced fruit flavours in the wine. Directly after fermentation on skins the wine was transferred to old, small barriques for 6 - 8 months. The wine was bottled in the year of harvest.
Winemaker: Henry Kotze
Main Variety: Merlot
Alcohol: 13.50
ph: 3.44
rs: 2.34
Total Acid: 6
Style: Dry
Body: Medium
Taste: Fruity
Blend Information: 100% Merlot
More Information
In 2007 Morgenster started its replanting strategy by uprooting close to 50% of the then 40 ha of vineyard. This was based on a 12 year history of the vineyard, in line with owner Giulio Bertrand’s objective of producing Morgenster flagship quality. The Estate now has 5.5 ha of young bearing vines of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The vines have not yet reached the maturity levels required for inclusion in Morgenster’s Bordeaux blends, yet they are already showing their pedigree and presenting luscious fruit and velvety tannins.
Bertrand created the NU Series so consumers can experience the exuberant fruity wine style coming from young vines in a single varietal format. Even though they were made to be enjoyed soon, they still carry the Morgenster signature with some typical traits you cannot get away from; a fruit driven experience.