Just opened a 2020 Morgen Long Durant Vineyard with @Rohit_B tonight. Needed close to 4 hours of air to really show itself but so good! Lime peel, pear, cardamom, and saffron on the nose. Really enjoy the purity of the underripe orchard fruit on the palate, well supported by a backbone of chalky minerality. Nice texture, killer juice!
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Can confirm it was phenomenal and needed 4+ hours to fully show. I actually thought it was a touch thin for the first 3 hours and then suddenly it rounded out.
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Cool. When you say 4 hours-- was that more of a temp. issue? 4 hours in the glass, or decanted? Curious
4 hours decanted. I actually decanted for an hour before putting back in bottle to bring over, then we decanted again.
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- 2020 Morgen Long Chardonnay Durant - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Dundee Hills (2/18/2024)
This was absolutely phenomenal but needed a good 4-6h to fully open.
Beautiful underripe orchard fruit, bright acidity, lovely texture and balance. Kiss of oak that integrates more with being open. Tons of complexity here despite being so young. This should cruise for 10-15 years in the cellar.
Seth may have ruffled some feathers with the price hike of the 22 vintage, but based on what's in the glass it is hard to blame him. (94 points)
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Pleased to have finally tried the 2021 Vincent Royer Vineyard Chard. @Bweiss has a TN here (Vincent Wine Co thread). My notes are a little different: Beautiful, lean, elegant with good substance and generous fruit and florals, and a pleasing finish. Struck flint minerality/reduction on the nose, dissipates with time, and shifts to wet-stone minerality on the palette and fresh sea breeze salinity on the finish. Heady citrus and white flower notes on the palate with shimmering acidity that keeps calling me back for more. Great wine! I believe this wine has a touch of new oak (one barrel’s worth), but very well integrated and to my palate, I found no buttery/vanilla/mocha types flavors which is my preferred style : ) Well done @Vincent_Fritzsche !!
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Thanks for the note David, I really appreciate your perspective on the wine. Very happy with this one myself.
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Cross post.
We had the 2022 WV “Owl” label Chardonnay last night. Killer focus and acidity, this could have passed as a
Chablis. No new oak and zero overt reduction. Based on the range of Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, and Gruner Veltliner I’ve had, Kelley hit it out of the park with her 2022 whites.
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Opened a 22 Cameron Dundee and was blown away. Gorgeous waxy citrus on the palate with a great nose. Also opened a Tan Fruit Petite Chardonnay and was underwhelemed.
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I prefer Cameron chards to Pinots. They are more consistent for me. Especially the lower end chards are an amazing value.
This was very good, but not quite at the Morgen Long level. Price is obviously different as well…
- 2018 Walter Scott Chardonnay X-Novo Vineyard - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills (3/31/2024)
As advertised this needs a good 3h to start showing and probably 4-6h to be in primetime.
Drinks really nice now but pretty well coiled and layered. Green apple, finely grated lime meringue/key lime pie, hints of graham cracker and lovely acidity. Lots of flinty minerals too. Should do very well for another 10+ years. (92 points)
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Gotta say I was initially very disappointed with this, but 2h later it really turned into something decent.
- 2019 Ponzi Vineyards Chardonnay Laurelwood District - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Laurelwood District (4/17/2024)
Needs 2h to open up properly.
Nose of light peaches, supple oak, honeycomb. Palate is much more interesting with underripe apple, acacia flower, lime zest, flint. Finish shows nice white minerality and a kiss of citrus.
I was in the midst of writing a very critical note (87) and then the wine transformed in front of me. I stepped away for 20min and came back to this enjoyable bottle. It is not coiled or layered the way you find the top Walter Scott or Morgen Long wines to be. But it does have nice complexity for its price. Many of those higher end chards I've had tend to be better closer to room temp than cellar temp, but this shows best with a slight chill.
90-91ish, drinks well now with 2h air but should do well in the cellar for another 6-8 years. (90 points)
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- 2022 Morgen Long Chardonnay X Omni - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills (4/14/2024)
A friend's bottle.
Generally agree with rieslinghoarder's note, though my white wine terminology is much more limited.
I did not perceive the same depth or complex layers as I have found with the 2021s here. Despite that, it was still very good. There is a saline/mineral streak backed by acidity that keeps the wine focused, but also a nice kick of fruit complexed by judicious oak that gives a sense of creamy complexity.
I've thought of Seth's 21s to be somewhat 1er or GC white burg rivals. This one is still very good but I don't think is at the same level. 92-93 (93 points)
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Kelley Fox just released a 2023 Weber Chardonnay. 28 cases made total all in stainless steel tank. I don’t recall ever hearing of a Weber Chardonnay before.
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Own-rooted, planted 40 years ago.
-Al
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So who has produced one in the last 35 years?
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From the email, sounds like Kelly has had access to the fruit in other years, it’s just this was a large yield than usual (25 cases).
-Al
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I had a 2020 Weber Chardonnay from Kelley. It was real funky. Very oxidative. If I remember correctly, Dustin said they only had a tiny amount.
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