Technical Analysis
With the DMZ range, DeMorgenzon aim to produce classic, elegant, well-balanced wines that over-deliver in terms of quality for price.
Tasting note
Deep, purple core. Rich, berry fruit aromas with lots of ripe, red plum and hints of white pepper. Some floral notes in the background, including violets, lavender, and spring blossoms. The palate displays dark fruit flavours, revealing white pepper, cinnamon, clove and vanilla spice. Gentle oak integration bodes well for a long and graceful bottle maturation of this wine. 97% Syrah, 3% Viognier.
Vintage conditions
On the back of a cold and wet winter, the 2020 growing season began very early, with homogenous budburst and even shoot growth. Summer was relatively mild, without the heatwaves often experienced in the Cape. The resultant crop retained high levels of natural acidity and abundant concentration of flavour. Particularly exceptional are the white wines of 2020, whilst the reds display early promise thanks to intense colour and tannin concentration.
Vinification details
Grapes were hand-harvested and destalked into stainless steel fermentation tanks, allowing for a small percentage of whole bunches. Spontaneous fermentation followed, with temperatures ranging between 22°C and 27°C, and the use of gentle punch-downs to extract colour and tannin from the skins. With the completion of malolactic fermentation, the wine was transferred to small French oak barrels, 3000L foudres and cement tanks where it matured for 12 months before bottling.
AWARDS
Tim Atkin MW: 91 pts
Technical Analysis
With the DMZ range, DeMorgenzon aim to produce classic, elegant, well-balanced wines that over-deliver in terms of quality for price.
Tasting note
Deep, purple core. Rich, berry fruit aromas with lots of ripe, red plum and hints of white pepper. Some floral notes in the background, including violets, lavender, and spring blossoms. The palate displays dark fruit flavours, revealing white pepper, cinnamon, clove and vanilla spice. Gentle oak integration bodes well for a long and graceful bottle maturation of this wine.
Vintage conditions
Whilst 2018 was dry in the Cape, the daytime temperatures during the ripening period were cooler than what was experienced in the very hot 2016 and 2017 vintages. The resultant harvest began very early with a focus on bringing fruit into the winery with lower sugar levels and lower pH levels.
Vinification details
Grapes were hand-harvested and destalked into stainless steel fermentation tanks, allowing for a small percentage of whole bunches. Spontaneous fermentation followed, with temperatures ranging between 22°C and 27°C, and the use of gentle punch-downs to extract colour and tannin from the skins. With the completion of malolactic fermentation, the wine was transferred to small French oak barrels, 3000L foudres and cement tanks where it matured for 12 months before bottling.
Technical Analysis
With the DMZ range, DeMorgenzon aim to produce classic, elegant, well-balanced wines that over-deliver in terms of quality for price.
Tasting note
Deep, purple core with a rich, berry fruit nose with lots of ripe red plum and whiffs of white pepper. Some floral notes in the background, including violets, lavender and spring blossoms. Full in the mouth with tremendous youthful vigour and layers of berry fruit with developing spices of pepper, cinnamon, clove and vanilla. Gentle oak integration shows and supports the elegance and roundness at this early age.
Vintage conditions
2017 was another hot and dry vintage in the Cape. Although the day time temperatures were warm, evening temperatures were much cooler than normal resulting in wines with incredible weight and texture, yet with great acidity and length. The dryness of the season resulted in minimal disease pressure with fruit arriving at the winery in very good condition.
Vinification details
The Syrah was manually harvested and destalked into stainless steel fermentation tanks. A small percentage of bunches were fermented without destalking. Natural fermentation followed with a slight extended maceration on the skins to stabilise the colour and give the wine palate length. Fermentation temperatures were managed between 22°C and 27°C with a combination of punch downs and gentle pumpovers to extract colour and flavour from the skins. After fermentation the wine was pressed off the skins and malolactic fermentation was completed in barrel. The wine spent a further 12 months in small French oak barrels, 3000L foudre barrels and cement tanks (total 10% new wood).
AWARDS
Tim Atkin MW: 90 pts
Technical Analysis
With the DMZ range, DeMorgenzon aim to produce classic, elegant, well-balanced wines that over-deliver in terms of quality for price.
Tasting note
Deep, purple core with a rich, berry fruit nose with lots of ripe red plum and whiffs of white pepper. Some floral notes in the background, including violets, lavender and spring blossoms. Full in the mouth with tremendous youthful vigour and layers of berry fruit with developing spices of pepper, cinnamon, clove and vanilla. Gentle oak integration shows and supports the elegance and roundness at this early age.
Vintage conditions
Conditions in 2016 were hot and dry resulting in a rapid harvest. Care had to be taken to harvest as quickly as possible, in an effort to preserve the grapes’ natural acid and freshness. Due to the dry conditions, the crop quality was excellent, although yields were lower than usual, averaging at around 6 tons per hectare.
Vinification details
The Syrah was manually harvested and destalked into stainless steel fermentation tanks. A small percentage of bunches were fermented without destalking. Natural fermentation followed with a slight extended maceration on the skins to stabilise the colour and give the wine palate length. Fermentation temperatures were managed between 22°C and 27°C with a combination of punch downs and gentle pumpovers to extract colour and flavour from the skins. After fermentation the wine was pressed off the skins and malolactic fermentation was completed in barrel. The wine spent a further 12 months in small French oak barrels, 3000L foudre barrels and cement tanks (total 10% new wood).
AWARDS
Tim Atkin MW: 93 pts
IWC 2018: Silver
Technical Analysis
With the DMZ range, DeMorgenzon aim to produce classic, elegant, well-balanced wines that over-deliver in terms of quality for price.
Tasting note
Deep, purple core with a rich, berry fruit nose with lots of ripe red plum and whiffs of white pepper. Some floral notes in the background, including violets, lavender and spring blossoms. Full in the mouth with tremendous youthful vigour and layers of berry fruit with developing spices of pepper, cinnamon, clove and vanilla. Gentle oak integration shows and supports the elegance and roundness at this early age.
Vintage conditions
2014 was a great year at DeMorgenzon. Vines entered the growing season with excellent potential for growth following good winter rains. Weather conditions during the ripening season were hot and dry, resulting in concentrated wines with depth and complexity.
Vinification details
The Syrah was manually harvested and destalked into stainless steel fermentation tanks. A small percentage of bunches were fermented without destalking. Natural fermentation followed with a slight extended maceration on the skins to stabilise the colour and give the wine palate length. Fermentation temperatures were managed between 22°C and 27°C with a combination of punch downs and gentle pump overs to extract colour and flavour from the skins. After fermentation the wine was pressed off the skins and malolactic fermentation was completed in barrel. The wine spent a further 12 months in small French oak barrels, 3000L foudre barrels and cement tanks (total 10% new wood).
AWARDS
IWC 2017: Silver
