2021 Morgen Long Chardonnay - USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley (5/17/2023)
Glassware: Grassl Cru Prep: Decant, served after 1 hour of air
Light gold in color. Delicate aromas of lemon oil, underripe pineapple, ginger, spruce tips, and a touch of smoke. Vibrant yet poised on the palate, initially coiled up with yellow citrus, underripe yellow apple, Bosc pear, and barrel spice flavors. After an hour of air the fruit notes unfurl nicely in the glass. There’s a lovely core of sun-beaten slate and flinty minerality, complemented by fine acids, both which are already nicely integrated.
The elegance and finesse of this wine stands out, and I assume is representative of the 2021 vintage. Delicious juice as always, Seth! (93 points)
Excellent tasting note and consistent with my own mental notes from that wine from a dinner with Seth Morgan Long two weeks back where I tasted much of the 2021 range over the course of an evening.
It was great to get to know Seth who is about as passionate about Chardonnay as any winemaker I’ve met, and I greatly enjoyed the entire range, The Willamette bottling is definitely the best value and a great way to get to know his wine. The X Omni was easily my favorite with incredible tension, amazing length and texture, and a balance of outstanding citrus fruit and floral notes. I added a few bottles of each of those to my cellar.
A small group of us will be tasting with him again in July the week of IPNC so I look forward to revisiting these wines and sharing more winemaking notes with Seth.
New to Seth’s wines this year and started off with 2021 Marine bottling on a warmer day a couple weeks back. Impressive and delicious bottling that surprised my wife and I, prompting a long discussion about Oregon Chard. Haven’t opened any of our Goodfellow yet, but we’re certainly excited about bottles from this awesome group of producers.
Reading these reviews has me wondering if I made a mistake not going with the Willamette, X-Omni, and maybe even the pink label… ha!
Great note–tagging this as a heretofore unknown winery to me which I want to definitely reach out to if I get my Oregon trip up and running for August. Thanks Brian.
Pink label is a totally badass wine. These chards are the real deal. I’d like to drink one next to a Roulot. We had an 18 Boillot PM Moucheres together last April at the winery, but it wasn’t really apples to apples. More like lime zest to apples.
That was a really fun bottle. For those who haven’t had the Pink Label, it is X-Omni Chardonnay matured on 5% Jesse James Vineyard Pinot Noir lees. Cranberry, blood orange, and brioche notes play with the racy Chardonnay in a really fun and versatile light rosé expression.
