Move Along At Your Own Taste
Morgan Winery
Wine expert Gosia Young is thirsty! After spending the last two years buying wine mostly online, she’s eager to get back into some real-life tasting rooms. Based in the beach town of Carmel in California's Monterey Peninsula, Morgan Winery’s tasting room is her first stop. Check out her file on why Morgan should be the top of your list.
Courtesy of Morgan
Shop Morgan:
Get a taste for Morgan and save $20 with the exclusive Vintner Files offer of the Santa Lucia Highlands 6-pack consisting of Morgan’s 2019 Highland Chardonnay, 2019 Twelve Clones Pinot Noir, and 2019 G17 Syrah. Shop now before this offer ends.
Courtesy of Morgan
A Winery By The Sea
Celebrated for its charming, laid-back village vibes, Carmel has more to offer than just sandcastles and good surf. Located on California's Monterey Peninsula, the town is a stone’s throw from the burgeoning region of the Santa Lucia Highlands. If you fancy a change of pace from the classic Napa Valley and Sonoma wine weekend, here is one exceptional gem to discover: Morgan Winery.
Morgan is a family-run winery based in the Santa Lucia Highlands of California’s central coast. For over 40 years, the team (headed up by founder and winemaker Dan Morgan Lee) has successfully crafted organically grown, classic cool-climate wines such as Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Syrah. Dan, a long time Californian local, tells it like it is and is driven by his maxim to make honest, fair value wine for the people. His daughter Jackie helps to run the winery and I caught up with her to learn more.
“I know there is a sea of wine choices out there, and that’s why I think Morgan Winery offers a safe harbor so many people are looking for. Maybe it’s no coincidence that we’re located by the ocean!” she laughs.
According to Jackie, the Santa Lucia Highlands is a special place. The vineyard conditions include a unique combination of abundant sunshine and a perfectly cool climate. Unlike its very famous wine country counterparts, the Highland’s growing potential only began to be discovered in the 1970s, making it one of California’s newest and most exciting wine regions. This means that there are still plenty of great value alternatives to discover. Enter Morgan Winery!
Courtesy of Morgan
Visit Morgan
When creating the Morgan tasting room, the Lee family was strategic in selecting their location. The tasting room, simply called ‘Taste Morgan,’ is conveniently situated off Rio Road at Highway One in Carmel.
“Rather than bring the people to our wine, we thought we’d bring our wine to the people,” opens Jackie.
“We have three satellite areas that encompass Morgan. The first one is the Double L vineyard, located in the Santa Lucia Highlands of the Salinas Valley. That’s the focus of our winemaking and growing. In the city of Salinas, we have our winery and offices. Then about 15 years ago, we opened our tasting room at the Crossroads Center in Carmel. Here, we welcome all our visitors, offer wine tastings, and host events.”
Morgan brings together the best wine-tasting experience possible outside a winery. Easy to reach, with plenty of parking (a must, especially during the busy summer season!), the tasting room invites visitors to enjoy a flight of four Morgan wines from the tasting menu for only $25 (bonus: the one fee is waived with a $50 purchase). Upon walking into Morgan, you’ll be presented with a barrel wall on one side and a welcoming bar with informed tasting hosts ready to guide you through the selection. Depending on the weather, you can sit in the indoor lounge area or the pet-friendly, heated outdoor patio. While walk-ins are welcome, reservations are recommended.
“We serve the flight of wines in carafes to encourage visitors to drink at their leisure. Our knowledgeable tasting room hosts will of course present the wines, check in regularly, and are available if you have any questions, but the idea is to relax and unwind,” adds Jackie.
Hot tip: If you’re looking for a one-on-one experience where you can learn something new or simply chill out after a long day, Morgan is the upscale clubhouse you didn’t know you needed.
Courtesy of Morgan
Level Up with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
“At Morgan Winery, we focus primarily on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay and have multiple different options within these varieties. The Highland Chardonnay and Twelve Clones Pinot Noir are our most widely distributed, however, our Single Vineyard and Clonal Selection offerings provide fantastic depth within these varieties to ensure you can explore them in as much detail as you like,” explains Jackie.
Fun, approachable, and offering a wide range of delicious wines, this is one winery where you can move along at your own taste and truly relax.
Shop Morgan:
Get a taste for Morgan and save $20 with the exclusive Vintner Files offer of the Santa Lucia Highlands 6-pack consisting of Morgan’s 2019 Highland Chardonnay, 2019 Twelve Clones Pinot Noir, and 2019 G17 Syrah. Shop now before this offer ends.
Nearby? Conveniently located off Rio Road at Highway One in the Crossroads Shopping Center of Carmel, Morgan brings the family's history and craft to life through a relaxed tasting experience. Visit Morgan today.