2016 Morgan Winery Highland Chardonnay Santa Lucia Highlands 750 ml

California Chardonnay Lover’s Bargain Bottle

For anyone seeking a Chardonnay that not only does the California style proud but hails from one of the Golden State’s top appellations, we present the 2016 Morgan Winery Highland Chardonnay Santa Lucia Highlands. In the glass it’s everything California Chardonnay lovers hope for: Rich golden color, plush texture from barrel-fermentation, ripe fruit, sweet oak spice, and a beautiful balancing acidity. The Pacific-cooled Santa Lucia Highlands have gained a reputation as one of the New World’s top locations for Burgundy varieties. Dan Lee Morgan saw the region’s potential as far back as the ‘80s. The Chardonnay for his 2016 Morgan were harvested off Dan’s own certified-organic Double L vineyard and from stellar neighboring sites. Whether you’re already smitten with Santa Lucia Highlands or are a Napa/Sonoma loyalist ready to stray south, it’s hard to imagine a California Chardonnay drinker who won’t love this wine. 

Dan Morgan Lee’s career has not quite followed the standard California path: When he matriculated at UC Davis in the 1970s, it was to pursue veterinary medicine, not winemaking. Eventually the desire to make wine did grip him, and after completing the graduate enology program at Davis, headed to wine country. But he passed on the hotbeds of Napa and Sonoma, instead journeying down the coast to apprentice at Jekel, the pioneering winery that was in the process of putting Monterey on the wine map.

Fast forward three decades: Morgan Winery, which Dan and his wife Donna founded in 1982, is now mentioned alongside the pioneering growers and producers who saw the potential of Monterey County long before the world recognized it as one of the top sites for Burgundy varieties in California.

In Santa Lucia Highlands, which skirts the Salinas Valley inland from the town of Monterey, the maritime winds take the bite out of the summer sun, stretching out the growing season, which leads to ideal ripeness. The 2016 Morgan Highland Chardonnay is grown at Dan’s certified-organic Double L vineyard, as well as neighboring vineyards, including McIntyre and Tondre. The fruit is hand-harvested, whole-cluster pressed, then barrel fermented, resulting in a wine with a ripe core, creamy mouthfeel, and outstanding focus.