2023 Morgan - Chardonnay Santa Lucia Highlands (750ml)

Morgan Winery traces back to a chance meeting between winemaker Dan Morgan Lee and Donna, a banker who attended a Monterey County Winegrowers Association gathering where Dan was sharing his dream of starting his own label. The two married and opened Morgan Winery together in 1982, after Dan had traded an early interest in veterinary medicine for enology at UC Davis and cut his teeth at Jekel Winery and Durney Vineyard. Their very first Chardonnay won gold at the LA County Fair, setting the tone for a winery that has since become one of the Central Coast's most respected Chardonnay and Pinot Noir producers.

In 1996, Dan and Donna purchased what became the Double L Vineyard in the northern Santa Lucia Highlands, named for their twin daughters and certified organic since 2001. This Highland Chardonnay blends roughly half Double L fruit with grapes from neighboring McIntyre and Tondré vineyards, all within the same cool, wind-swept AVA. About a quarter of the wine was aged in new oak, enough to add polish without masking the site's natural brightness.

The wine offers aromas of lemon, pear, and baking spice, with flavors of pineapple, lemon curd, and a touch of butterscotch rounded out by sea salt minerality. It pairs nicely with grilled sea bass, creamy corn chowder, or prosciutto-wrapped melon.