Technical Analysis
The vineyards for DeMorgenzon's Reserve Syrah are situated on the estate's farm in Stellenbosch, first planted in 2004.
Tasting note
With a deep purple core, this wine presents a rich nose of berry fruits, dominated
by ripe red plum with hints of white pepper. Subtle floral undertones of violets,
lavender, and spring blossoms add complexity. Full-bodied and bursting with
youthful vigour, it layers berry fruits over evolving spices of pepper, cinnamon,
clove, and vanilla. The gentle integration of oak supports its early-age elegance and roundness, promising a nuanced and harmonious palate experience
Vintage conditions
Following a cool and refreshing spring, the vineyards enjoyed an ideal progression leading up to budburst and berry set. These optimal conditions facilitated even bunch development, ensuring that fruit ripeness and flavour complexity evolved gradually and harmoniously over an extended growing period
Vinification details
The Syrah grapes for this wine are sourced from two distinct parcels: a high-altitude, high-density “stok-by-paaltjie” block facing south, and another block facing north with vertical shoot positioning. Each parcel is meticulously hand-harvested and undergoes natural fermentation in both concrete tanks and stainless steel, where gentle pump overs and delestage ensure elegant extraction. Maturation occurs in 500L French oak barrels for 12-16 months, allowing the
wine to develop complexity and depth before final blending and bottling.
AWARDS
Tim Atkin MW: 96 pts
Platter: 93 pts
IWSC: Gold (7th best wine overall in 2024)
Technical Analysis
The vineyards for DeMorgenzon's Reserve Syrah are situated on the estate's farm in Stellenbosch, first planted in 2004.
Tasting note
Deep, purple core. 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, this displays 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. The grapes were handpicked and selected in the early morning at between 23.5º and 24.5º balling.
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 24°C and 30°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 10 months in 300L French oak barrels and a further 10 months in 3000L foudre barrels. After final blending the wine was transferred to 300L barrels for settling, after which it was racked and bottled without filtration.
AWARDS
Tim Atkin MW: 95 pts
Platter: 4.5*
DWWA: Silver
IWC: Gold
Technical Analysis
The vineyards for DeMorgenzon's Reserve Syrah are situated on the estate's farm in Stellenbosch, first planted in 2004.
Tasting note
Deep, purple core. 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, this displays 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
2015 was one of the earliest vintages on record and careful attention had to be paid in the vineyards to ensure ripe fruit was harvested. This was achieved through effective crop thinning and selective harvest. Soil moisture levels had to be managed to extend the ripening as late as possible. Disease pressure was low and fruit health and fruit concentration was excellent. The earlier vintage resulted in more prominent tannins, hence the extraction in the winery was adjusted accordingly.
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 24°C and 30°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 10 months in 300L French oak barrels and a further 10 months in 3000L Foudre barrels and cement tanks (total 25% new wood).
AWARDS
Tim Atkin MW: 93 pts
James Suckling: 93 pts
IWSC: Silver outstanding
Technical Analysis
The vineyards for DeMorgenzon's Reserve Syrah are situated on the estate's farm in Stellenbosch, first planted in 2004.
Tasting note
Deep, purple core. 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, this displays 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 difficult year in that early season rains persisted throughout the spring and early summer. Disease pressure was high and vigilance was needed to ensure fruit health. The higher moisture levels in the soils allowed for a longer ripening period, and together with cooler temperatures resulted in elegant wines with very soft tannin. Removing leaves in the fruit zone allowed for sufficient sunlight penetration and good flavour development.
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 stabilize the colour and give the wine palate length. Fermentation temperatures were managed between 24°C and 30°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 10 months in 300L French oak barrels and a further 10 months in 3000L foudre barrels and cement tanks (total 25% new wood).
