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00:00 – PETIT VERDOT IN THE NEW WORLD

01:50 – AN INTRO TO MORGNESTER ESTATE

03:17 – HOW THE WINE WAS MADE

03:46 – WHAT DOES THE WINE SMELL AND TASTE LIKE?

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Morgenster Estate in Helderberg has always exhibited some tension between the ancient and the modern. Founder Giulio Bertrand came from the Old World Of Piedmont Italy, and brought with him both Old World winemaking, as well as Old World Italian cultivars. But from the perspective of the local Helderberg wine fraternity, they would have seen his work with those unusual cultivars rather progressive and modern (there were only a few farmers working with them at the time).

Fast forward thirty years, to a point where Giulio has passed on, and left his legacy in the care of the next generation, and one might be suprised to learn that the first thing that the younger generation has done is to turn back the clock and focus on the classic wines of Helderburg – superlative bordeaux blends – both red and white.
But that tension between the old and new still holds firm, as the young guns have moved to shed the rather old school Morgenster look-and-feel. Morgenster’s facelift involves a depaarture from the architectural inspirations of the original homestead, and lean instead into an angular, geometric, aesthetic, with bolder colours, and a little more abstraction. Now, as far as I’m concerned, a rose under any other label will still smell as sweet, but I’m still curious to see how both the facelift and the shift in focus back towards Bordeaux cultivars will shift public sentiment around the brand.

Luckily for members of the HandrinksSolo Wine Club, we can assess both wine and aesthetic, but if you have yet to sign up for your Monthly HanDrinksSolo Wine Subscription then you’ll have settle for staring at the pictures, reading my tasting notes, and enjoying a few technical specs:

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👃🏼 A slightly moody nose of blackcurrant, stewed prunes, maraschino cherry, along with some herbal fennel, rosemary, and sweet tobacco leaf.

👄  A pleasantly full bodied-wine, with a palate that present in the reverse order to that of the vanguard. Brighter sour cherry presents first, which is then followed by deeper, riper, blackcurrant and a touch of kirsch. Tannins have been pleasantly softened in the 7 years since release, but they are still plenty able to hold up the delightfully lengthy black cherry remnants.

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🔬 Wine of Origin Stellenbosch. made by winemaker Henry Kotze. The blend is made up of 38% Merlot, 36% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Petit Verdot, 8% Cabernet Franc. After fermentation, the wine was matured in French oak barrels for 18 months (25% new oak, 15% in second fill, 30% in third fill and 30% in fourth fill barrels).

| alc 14.5% | RS 2.5g/l | pH 3.77 | TA 6g/l |