Offering just opened. We bought some of the inaugural release last year ('14 Vintage) primarily to give it a shot and support a fellow board member. Wife and I were very impressed. We brought a bottle of Seth’s wine with us on vacation and bottle of '14 Aubert CIX. While Aubert is a different style of course, I have to say that we found ourselves discussing the merits of both, and the Morgen Long was right there with the Aubert. For our tastes, we thought it was better.
Super small production here. I think maybe 120 -150 cases total between the 3 different bottlings, but I’m in for an assorted 2 cases. Prices are reasonable, and frankly I think there is good value here.
I’m a buyer, too. I bought the 2014 for the same reasons (I remember a board member posting that he/she really like the wine), drank one, and am cellaring the rest a bit. Great stuff.
Sadly I just realized that I only bought a few of the '14s and we’ve drank most of them already! I’ll have to follow your lead and try to lay off this time!
I’d be interested to hear more about the style of the wine or comps, as well as the cost. I’m early in exploring Oregon Chardonnay but have been pleased so far (Brittan, Winderlea, Brick House and Eyrie have been recent successes and good QPR).
My favorite chardonnay is Stony Hill. I love the minimal oak and minerally expression found in their wines. Trying the '14 Morgen Long Chard it felt like more tightly wound version of stony hill. Now I mean that in a good way! Great texture, light yet full-bodied. Not that I’m an expert on white burgundy (I definitely not) but I get a solid chablis feeling from this wine the few times we’ve had it.
Like I said in my OP, we drank it side by side with a '14 Aubert and this was definitely the preferred wine. I think there are 3 different offerings this year. One at $30, one at $50 and one at $70. I bought a couple of mixed cases to try them all.
As far as my style, wines which are transparent to the vines, site and vintage is my goal. I look up to the wines from Raveneau, Roulot, Ente, PYCM, Dancer, de Montille, as well as Ganevat, in France. As far as Oregon in conerned, I like Walter Scott, Arterberry Maresh, Crowley, Cameron, Eyrie, Brickhouse, Goodfellow. California producers I enjoy are Stoney Hill, Ceritas, Arnot-Roberts and Rhys. I make my wines at Lingua Franca, and think the wines from Lingua Franca (Thomas Savre) wines are very good as well.
I press wholecluster or lightly crushed, sulfur juice in the pan and hyper-oxidize the most phenolic portion at the end of the press cycle. I settle and spread out the solids/lees equally amongst barrels - I like Damy most, I think 20%-40% new is appropriate. Primary fermentation takes place in barrel without additions, as does malolactic. I make blending decisions and rack barrels to stainless steel after 11 months, where the wines spend a second winter on lees. The wines are bottled after 16-18 months.
Hi Seth, I am organising a blind tasting of 10 new world chardonnays to take on Burgundy in London on the 15th June. Neal Martin will be among the people attending. I have spent the best part of six weeks choosing what I consider the best ten in the new world and am pleased to advise you that your 2015 Sandi will be included .
What would you advise re decanting ? Cheers Keith
That’s nice to hear, I’m grateful to be included! I last tasted the '15 Sandi bottling at the A&B tasting in late April and it was wide open, right out of the bottle. The 2016’s, on the other hand, definitely flourish after some air. Those will land in the UK this summer. Hope the tasting is enjoyable and instructive and thanks again for including one of my wines! I’ll get in touch next time I’m in London, and please let me know if you make it to Portland or the Willamette Valley.