Press Release September 2005

The Modern Morgenster

A Sythesis of Dedication and Quality

Morgenster (Morning Star) is an original part of Cape Governor W.A. van der Stel's larger farm, founded over 300 years ago. From these early days, wine has been made here; Van der Stel was quick to recognise the potential of the farm's remarkable position in the foothills of the Helderberg for the cultivation of vines. In his lifetime, Morgenster was built into a model farm.

Today the tradition is again alive under the ownership of Italian-born textile magnate Giulio Bertrand. When Bertrand arrived at the estate, the hills above the house reminded him of his Tuscan birthplace, so he decided to plant sweeping olive groves alongside the vines and was inspired to produce an olive oil to rival the best Italy has to offer - and wines to rival the best of France.

With a keen sense of history, he set about preserving the beautiful historic buildings, today some of the best examples of Cape Dutch architecture, and made a systematic mapping of the farm's terroir and all its aspects. What he saw reassured him that this farm certainly had the potential to produce wine of extraordinary quality. From the start, Bertrand refined his focus and concentrated his desire on these dreams: world-class Bordeaux-styled wine, and the highest quality olive oil. His innate knowledge of the best from the around the world informed him, and the place inspired him - Morgenster was a realisation of his dreams.

He gathered a specialised team, including Pierre Lurton - Managing Director of Ch�teau Cheval Blanc and manager of Ch�teau Y'quem, to consult and run the farm along the exacting principles that would define the idea of excellence. Recently, Gerrie Wagener, previously of Vergelegen and Winecorp, has joined as Managing Director and Hardie Basson�as marketing manager, to add further impetus to the Morgenster brand.

Morgenster naturally has steep, stony vineyards with well-structured soils that have direct access to the cooling sea breezes. The soils suggested that the classic Bordeaux varieties would shine, so they were replanted mainly to Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc - the latter a personal favourite of Bertrand's, who loves the elegant wines of St. Emilion. Two red wines are made on Morgenster, the Lourens River Valley and the Morgenster Estate wine. Both are red blends, both are made to be structured and deeply textured, with the Lourens River Valley designed to be somewhat more approachable in its youth. Lurton has praised the wines of Marius Lategan for their "fatness and elegant, silky tannins," which he describes as "cashmere tannins". The wines have quickly found favour with wine lovers, the 2000 vintage of the Morgenster�Morgenster being sold out within five months of release, and both the 2001 Morgenster and 2002 Lourens River Valley receiving 4� stars in the 2005 Platter Wine Guide�.�The respected American wine critic Steve Tanzer�also recently�awarded��90 points�to the Lourens River Valley 2001 and a remarkable 91+ points for the 2001 Morgenster, Morgenster blend.

The combination of ideal soils and meticulous vineyard preparation is matched in the modern award wining cellar, where every detail is geared to the creation of fine wines. A sorting table carefully extracts only the prime berries for vinification, and a sensitive mix of French oak barrels enhances the complex character of these world-class wines.

The beautiful olive groves were planted to a mix of high quality olive varieties, for the production of excellent olive oil and table olives. Soils were carefully chosen and painstakingly terraced, the trees hand-harvested and the fruit treated to the most modern methods of production. The result is a pure olive oil that meets the most rigorous definition of the term "cold-pressed extra virgin". This means that the oil has the ideal ratio of less than 0.8% acidity and is produced by only the first cold pressing. Morgenster Extra Virgin Olive Oil is truly the cr�me de la créme.

The estate olive oil has been rewarded with Italy's foremost prize, the L'Orciolo d'Oro, six years in a row proving that it is not only the locals who consider it to be exceptional. In a blind tasting, a South African panel of judges made up of local olive oil producers and members of the public tasted oils from 14 local estates - and Morgenster came out tops. Other accolades include being voted "Oil of the Year" in the Southern Hemisphere�New Season Extra Virgin Olive Oils Top Eight in Sydney, as well as receiving a Gold Medal at the 2003 and 2004 L.A. County Fair in California. Morgenster also makes a lemon-infused olive oil as well as the latest release of a stunning white truffle oil. Then there are also two varieties of table olive: large green Nocellara del Belice and black Kalamata, as well as a delicious olive paste.

Today, a visit to the estate will show how this piece of Cape history still proudly carries the tradition of premium farming, a thoroughly modern operation that lives alongside the historic beauty of the manor and outhouses. The oak-lined driveway up to the homestead with its perfectly preserved architecture sets an idyllic, relaxing mood - while the wines and olive oils set out to conquer the world. The perfect blend of tradition and world-class excellence.