I belong to a virtual wine class with my Washington DC friends and a recent class was focused on Syrah – from anywhere. I was at Andronico’s and found this 2018 Morgan Syrah G17 on sale for $23. I don’t know Morgan wines as well as I should, so I picked one up to try.
Distilled from Morgan’s website: Dan Morgan Lee was first “…hired as winemaker at Jekel Winery in Monterey County. After serving his apprenticeship at Jekel, Dan moved up the road to Durney Vineyard where he continued to make Monterey wines…Dan aspired to craft his own label. It was at a meeting of the Monterey County Winegrowers Association that he shared his vision with a banker. In addition to becoming his business advisor, that banker would also become Dan’s wife…
After initial success and many awards, “…Dan eventually turned more of his attention to the Santa Lucia Highlands and single vineyard releases. Dan and Donna invested in their belief in the Highlands with the purchase of the Double L Vineyard in 1996. Today the Double L is one of the best known vineyards in California. Dan’s leadership and expertise in the district led to his being named the first Board President of the newly formed Santa Lucia Highlands’ winegrowers association in 2005.”
2018 Morgan Syrah G17, Santa Lucia Highlands AVA, 14.5% ABV, $25 (#111*) 94% Syrah, 3% Grenache, 3% Tempranillo
According to Morgan Winery: The Morgan G17 “…is sourced primarily from the Santa Lucia Highlands and Arroyo Seco Appellations of Monterey County. Cool to moderate daytime temperatures are mitigated by ocean breezes and cool nights – fostering acidity and balance. Here the fog burns off early, allowing ample sunshine to warm temperatures to the mid 80’s during the summer and fall. The warm air draws cool winds from Monterey Bay in the late afternoon. By night time, temperatures cool to the mid 50’s.”
While Chardonnay and Pinot Noir dominate in SLH, I was delighted to see this Morgan Syrah made with grapes from these SLH and Arroyo Seco AVA vineyards: Paraiso, Double L, Tondré (SLH AVA); Griva and Ventana (Arroyo Seco AVA).
Winemaker’s Notes: “This Rhone-style blend has a garnet color, highlighted with purple edges. Blackberry, white pepper, graphite, and hints of smoked meat jump out of the glass. The wine is medium-full bodied with fine grained tannins, offering a mouthful of crème de violette and black fruit. Its weight and balance make it a perfect pairing with anything off the grill.” It spent 10 months in 20% new French oak.
Wine Enthusiast rated this wine 94 Points: “Lively aromas of black raspberry jam on French toast, dark hibiscus, tar and lavender show on the cool-climate nose of this bottling, which includes 3% each of Grenache and Tempranillo. The palate is vibrant with flavors of pepper, lavender and lilac, set against the richer black-raspberry and black-plum backdrop.” Matt Kettmann, July 2020
My Review: Deep ruby in color, with a vibrant nose of dark berries and pepper. A smooth, intense, deep palate of dark plum and blackberry, almost like an older wine in flavor, with a peppery menthol and leather finish. To me, the spiciness is more reminiscent of some of the Shiraz wines I used to drink decades ago, a bit of a contrast to other Syrahs I’ve had from the Monterey (Salinas Valley floor), Arroyo Seco and Carmel Valley AVAs. July 2020
Morgan is open for patio tastings at the Crossroads Shopping Center in Carmel: Thursday – Sunday: 11:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. For more information on making a tasting reservation, click here. You can find this wine on the winery webpage above or at our local Andronico’s and perhaps elsewhere locally. You can also find it on www.wine.com and at K&L Wine Merchants.
*Refers to wines tasted while Sheltering in Place on Sharon’s personal Facebook group “Sharon’s Central Coast (Monterey) Wine Blog” – including non-Central Coast wines.
© Decanting Monterey 2020
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