Morgan "Double L Vineyard" Syrah 2019

The 2018 Double L Vineyard Syrah by Morgan Winery is out of Santa Lucia Highlands, California. It saw 10 months in French oak, 25% of it new. It's purple in the glass, and fresh from being opened you could have told me it was aged in Tequila barrels and I would have believed you. The next day, that agave was still there but not nearly as aggressive. There's also notes of plums, strawberry, lavender, and lots of pepper. Strong structure and chewy! $44? Heck yeah! Pair with beef stew, sharp cheddar, or smoked crab dip.

Listen to Mike and Joey talk about this wine on Grapes & Capes Episode #12: Hope & Hijinks!

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Morgan "Twelve Clones" Pinot Noir 2018

The 2018 Twelve Clones Pinot Noir by Morgan Winery is from the Double L, Rosella's, Boekenoogen, KW, and Tondré vineyards in Santa Lucia Highlands, California. It saw 9 months in French Oak, 35% of it new. It's got some nice dirt and earthy spice on it, with tart and juicy cranberries, plums, wilting roses, and a perky acidity on the finish followed by grainy tannins. Burgundian in style and very versatile with food pairing. $35 and worth it!

Listen to Mike and Joey talk about this wine on Grapes & Capes Episode #12: Hope & Hijinks!

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Morgan "Metallico" Un-Oaked Chardonnay 2019

The 2019 Metallico Un-Oaked Chardonnay by Morgan is out of Santa Lucia Highlands and saw 8 months aging in stainless steel. Fuller bodied and very tropical with notes of pineapple, limoncello, pears, and vanilla. A solid $22 un-oaked Chardonnay that you can nurse and take in its intricacies or use as a refreshing thirst quencher. Excellent stuff! Pair with rotisserie chicken or pork.

Listen to Mike and Joey talk about this wine on Grapes & Capes Episode #12: Hope & Hijinks!

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Grapes & Capes Episode #12: Hope and Hijinks

Mike and Joey sip on wines by Morgan while talking about some uplifting stories to ring in the New Year, and give their opinion on Wonder Woman 1984 because why not?

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Prologue: Wonder Woman 1984, being a podcasting parent

Wine #1:  Morgan Metallico Unoaked Chardonnay 2019, Metallo, Superman the animated series

Comics #1: Superman #7 (2016), Superman in New 52 and Rebirth, what makes Superman the greatest, Rebirth costumes, the aging and destruction of Jon Kent

Wine #2: Morgan Twelve Clones Pinot Noir 2018

Comics #2: Quantum and Woody Volume 1, hide yo kids hide yo wife

Wine #3: Morgan Double L. Vineyard Syrah 2018

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Morgan Winery ~ Highland Chardonnay 2018, Sauvignon Blanc 2018, Rosé of Grenache 2019

Wasn't Morgan just on this blog? Well, they're back! And delivering that same great quality as they always do. The 2018 Highland Chardonnay is like a buttered biscuit with a side of pineapples. It's pretty oaky and you know that's my jam with Chardonnay. However, the bright and tart finish makes it more versatile with food than most oaky buttery Chards. Speaking of bright and tart, the 2018 Sauvignon Blanc out of Monterey is all about the zip! There is Semillon in here so it's got a medium body and a round mouthfeel, but I hope you like Sour Patch Kids because the tartness will make your mouth pucker. And not in a bad way, because it's pretty yummy and very refreshing. It's very grassy with grapefruit and lemon. I'm drooling thinking about this with Oysters Rockefeller. Finally, it's the 2019 Rosé of Grenache. With a weighty mouthfeel and tamed acidity, this is a rosé that's meant to savor instead of porch pound. Of course there's watermelon and strawberry, but there's also vanilla and orange skin. The best part of this wine is the finish. It's super juicy and, in a big surprise, spicy.

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Morgan G17 Syrah 2018

It's wine number 3 of 3 in this round of Morgan reviews, and we're ending it with the 2018 G17 Syrah. This wine is 94% Syrah, 3% Grenache, and 3% Tempranillo. Enough of it is from California's Santa Lucia Highands to be legally labeled as such, it was fermented in open top tanks, and it saw 10 months in French oak (20% new). The ABV is 14.5%.

The color of the wine is garnet. The nose is just loaded with fine black table pepper enough to make you sneeze, followed by blackberries, strawberry candy, lavender, graphite, tar, and ethanol fumes. Ooooof! That nose is serious business! On the palate it's medium to full bodied with a rich mouthfeel, balanced acidity, and bitter, bitter tannin. The flavors are lead by those bitter tannins with cedar, dark chocolate, and tar. The blackberries are still there, as well as a ton of fine black table pepper, with the addition of vanilla and licorice. And they all continue on forever on the finish with burning ethanol heat.

Who is in the mood to barbecue or grill some meat? I ask because I've got the right wine for you right here. This is a Syrah that comes with the requirement that you light up that goddamn grill.

QUALITY VS PRICE RATING

Price: $25

Rating: 4/5 = Recommended (what does that mean?)

The bottle used was supplied free of charge for the purpose of this unpaid review. To have your wine reviewed follow this link.

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McIntyre Santa Lucia Highlands Chardonnay 2018

Holy Moly, this is my kind of Chardonnay! The 2018 McIntyre Chardonnay is out of Santa Lucia Highlands, which is in Monterey, which is in the Central Coast of California. The strongest aromas on the nose are ginger and banana and vanilla, followed by pineapple, cooked apple, and buttered biscuit. Uuuuuungh!!! When was the last time that I expressed my love for Chardonnay to you all? It's been too long. So, DAMN I LOVE CHARDONNAY! On the palate it's full bodied with a buttery mouthfeel and moderate acidity. There's flavors of pear juice, banana, vanilla, baking spices, and ginger. It finishes smooth and lush and eloquent, without a bit of tartness from the acidity and a bit of ginger heat. And, call me crazy, I even get a little white chocolate on the finish.

For $28 this is one hell of a Chard. It gives you everything that you expect in an oaked Chardonnay while not getting carried away with malo or oak, while both are still present. This should be a consistent case buy for Chardonnay fans who can drop the bucks, and I don't think I've ever said that about any other wine on this blog. I loved this wine. It's got solid Chardonnay expression with a great price for its excellent quality. 

QUALITY VS PRICE RATING

Price: $28

Rating: 4.5/5 = Recommended / Highly Recommended (what does that mean?)

The bottle used was supplied free of charge for the purpose of this unpaid review. To have your wine reviewed follow this link.

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