De Morgenzon 'DMZ' Chardonnay 2015

Stephen Tanzer 89
"Very pale, bright yellow. Alluring nose combines stone fruits, clove, smoked meat and honeysuckle. Offers lovely spicy lift and richness to its ripe stone fruit flavors, plus a complicating touch of butterscotch. Firm lemony acidity extends the wine's finish. A superb Chardonnay for the price, still with some development ahead." - ST

DeMorgenzon is Dutch for "the morning sun," a fitting name for this boutique property high on the Stellenboschkloof, which is the first to be touched by the rising sun's rays. DeMorgenzon's high altitude vineyards command sweeping views of Table Mountain and Cape Point, where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet. Embracing the philosophy that a biodiverse and ecologically sensitive environment produces infinitely better grapes, proprietors Wendy and Hylton Appelbaum have established DeMorgenzon as a 91 hectare garden interspersed with 55 hectares of carefully tended vineyards, where abundant wildflowers flourish between the vines. The vineyards are currently farmed naturally, and the estate is in the process of converting to organic farming.