Taste Morgan

 Our friend calls her time at Taste Morgan, “wine therapy.” That’s partially because there is a large leather couch in the tasting room.  One day we joined her for a therapy session.  What we encountered was not only a comfy couch, but some wonderful wines, as well.

Dan Morgan Lee, the owner of Morgan Winery and a graduate of UC Davis enology degree program, has been making his own wine since 1982.  His Double L Vineyard, established in 1996, is a totally organic vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands appellation, and was initially planted with various Pinot Noir clones.  The vineyard now has Chardonnay, Syrah, and Riesling grapes as well.

The first wine we tasted was the 2009 Sauvignon Blanc which was crisp and citrusy and just a little oaky, probably from its short aging stint in an oak barrel.  Our next wine, a fruity Verdelho, was made from grapes grown in an area with terroir similar to Portugal, where the Verdelho grape originated.  Both wines cost only $15 a bottle—good value.

We also liked the Twelve Clone Pinot Noir which was a nice medium-bodied wine with hints of cherry and spice, with a good percentage of the grapes coming from the Double L Vineyard.

We enjoyed our time on the couch at the tasting room, which is large, light, and contains lots of wine and wine paraphernalia to purchase. LC bought a book called Once upon a Vine: Secret Stories of California’s Artisan Wineries by Judy C. Reynolds, which includes the story of Dan and his Morgan Winery.

The tasting room is at The Crossroads (number 204) in Carmel and is open daily from 11-6 (831 626-3700).  And according to their website, www.morganwinery.com, they hold Fromage Fridays from 3-5 p.m. when you can nibble on cheese paired with their wines.  We plan to return to do just that.  We’re sure it will be very therapeutic.