Taste Morgan

Deborah was a delight! Very knowledgeable about the wines and a great resource for local information. Great way to spend the afternoon.

Friendly service and nice snacks at the tasting room, but the wines were seriously not tasty, even the super high priced ones. They had sold out of 2 of the pinots, but unusually, we didn’t even buy a bottle to offset the tasting fee — nothing was good enough. Skip and go across the street to McIntyre for the good stuff.

Tondre Pinot by a fire listening to Bocelli some years ago still resonates. If you’re a Pinot fan, Monterey vintners produce some of the best in America. We’ve been members for over 3 years and always pick up our wines to enjoy the Monterey coast, Carmel and Carmel Valley.
Monterey is a great alternative to traffic to Napa and Sonoma and as an added bonus, you get the California coastline. After Taste of Morgan go to Mission Valley Ranch close by and perhaps Clint (as in Eastwood) will be in to tinkle the piano ivories at the piano bar: He owns the place.

Great tasting room — we come here each time we’re in Carmel to do a tasting. But end up just buying our Morgan wine from Safeway at a deep discount. Safeway doesn’t offer all of their wines — however. So keep that in mind. While you’re tasting, if there’s one in particular you’re in love with, ask if you can find it at a Safeway or other distributer — some offerings you’ll need to pick up at location. Otherwise, if you’re going for a widely distributed option (e.g., some of their pinot noirs and chardonnays), pick up at Safeway to save some $$.

Morgan has an incredible flight of wines that showcase the best of Monterey County. All their wines are great! But their Pinot Noir is our favorite.
Wine growing is organic and sustainable. The Double L is the only vineyard certified in both in the Highlands.

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For three decades, Dan and Donna Lee and their Morgan label have been synonymous with artisan, vineyard-​centric wines from the Santa Lucia Highlands and Monterey. Located in the Crossroads Carmel, Rio Road at Highway One in this busy Crossroads Shopping Plaza.
At Taste Morgan, you can sample the latest vintages, many of which are only available «at the source.» Taste Morgan also boasts a unique collection of wine-​oriented gifts.
The tasting room is spacious, with comfortable sofa and table, as well as a long bar for standing only. The GM Deborah and Amy were very nice and gracious to us. We got to try variety of wines and all were good and very reasonable price by bottle.
— 2013 Double L Vineyard Chardonnay
— 2013 Garys’ Vineyard Pinot Noir — I love this wine!
— 2013 Double L Vineyard Syrah — surprisingly beautiful
— 2013 Twelve Clones Pinot Noir
— 2013 Lee Family Farm Tempranillo — a SOLD OUT wine, must get on the next release
— 2012 Lee Family Farm Grenache — a bargain
Tasting fee was reasonable, comfortable atmosphere, great service, a must check out tasting room while you visit Carmel.

Morgan has an incredible line up of wines that highlight the best of Monterey county– the LL Syrah and Gary’s Pinot are terrific examples of this.
Deborah and Paul were great hosts. I didn’t want to leave! Eventually I did though, and with a (VERY) fairly priced Syrah. They get top marks in service, wine, and atmosphere.

A long time leader in quality from Monterey, Morgan continues to provide some of the best examples of wine from the AVA.
Located in the Crossroads shopping center — an upscale location — the tasting room has a modern vibe while maintaining a comfortable classic style.
We arrived just as they opened at 11 am — pros from dover here — and had a nice chat about the winery, the tasting room, the region, and mutual wine interests.
A few wines are readily available in stores across the country — Highlands Chard, 12 Clones Pinot, Cote de Crows Blend — and these are certainly worth tasting, but the real highlights here are the limited production wines and anything from the Double L Vineyards.
Case in point: The Double L Dry Riesling, balanced and dry, with a hint of wax and nuttiness on the long finish.

Morgan wines are some of the best in Monterey county. I have always loved their 12 Clones Pinot, but their Chardonnay’s are amazing too. Recent tasting room favorites include: Highland Chardonnay, Gary’s Pinot Noir, and Lee Family label Grenache. This winery has something for everyone, from unoaked chard’s to powerful Syrah’s. The woman poring was so warm, and genuinely knew all about the wines she represents. We are joining this club for sure, stop by to taste, you will love the tasting room vibe along with their great products. Cheers!

Morgan winery provided a memorable client appreciation reception for my clients. My clients raved about the experience. Great company, service five stars and the wine does place a smile on your face. Guaranteed.
A great venue for a private party.
Thank you so much to Morgan Wines and to my clients. An evening of appreciation was demonstrated.
The Pinot is excellent. The staff friendly and welcomed my clients. Thank you, thank you!,
Danette Roberts, Alain Pinel Realtors
Carmel

Just became a member, really impressed with the whites, long time fan of the pinot.

Ask a Unilocal Whisperer
QOTD (Question of the Day)
January 21, 2014
Dear YW:
I’m a wine tasting virgin, in a manner of speaking. I mean, I drink wine, but never in public other than bars and restaurants, and definitely never without my boyfriend around. He’s totally adorable, but he’s also very … opinionated. A power-​charging Cabernapa drinker who likes his tannins stiff and hard and a lingering finish that lasts until early morning. I’m emancipated and all, but I must admit to feeling a little intimidated when we’re drinking wine together. I want to try it without the BF and his big red radar going off, just to see if anything’s different.
So … I have this weekend trip planned with a few female friends and we really want to wine taste sans our significant others. We’re pretty laid-​back folks, no big party hearty types (except in the bedroom). We want smart and sophisticated wines, the kind you can enjoy and get an oenophilic education in the process. Don’t laugh! I want to learn, but also have fun doing it. So what have you got up your Unilocal Whispering sleeve this time?
PS– We don’t need to visit the winery itself. A tasting room near some shopping would be pretty optimal, actually. Got all that? Thanks! I am SUCH a fan ;-)
Julia G. (aka «Miss Mellow in Menlo»)
Menlo Park, CA
Hi Julia,
That’s a great question. Not Napa, for starters. Not a great place to begin tasting. And not Paso Robles or Santa Barbara, either: too far from the Bay Area to make a fun day trip. And no Santa Cruz Mountain wineries, since those roads can be tricky. Sonoma might be an option, but you’d have to go too far from Menlo to really make it fun.
The solution is simple: Taste Morgan.
It’s close, it’s near Carmel, there are spas and coffee and good food and chocolate, and Point Lobos for sight-​seeing. And few places showcase Monterey County wines like Morgan. The cool climate varietals are all there — vineyard designate Pinots and Chardonnay — but really I’d recommend that you and your friends go with the signature or classic tasting rather than the Quatro Pinot option. That way, you’ll start with a mouth-​watering Savignon Blanc (the newly released 2012s are excellent), then move on to unoaked and oaked Chardonnay. This is a great — really great — way to see how barrel aging affects the taste of white wine, and you might like the Metallico enough to bring a few bottles home.
You’ll want to try some reds next — 12 Clones Pinot, or an estate Syrah — but save room for sampling from the Lee Family Farm bottles. These are small batch experimental varieties, sourced from estate grapes and some other top flight growers that fly under the radar screen or who don’t bottle their own wine. These are fun reds and funky whites — the Verdelho and Rio Tinto are prime examples — and I’m fond of the 2011 Grenache. Great cherry fruit, integrated oak, and super approachable. A lovely choice for you to see what reds can do besides be really big.
You’ll want to try wines from the Double L vineyard, and study the Santa Lucia highlands map. Pick up a bottle of the DL Riesling, or maybe purchase a glass of it to share. They’ll wave the tasting fee if you buy two bottles, and believe me, two bottles is a minimum here, and the Lee Family Farm and single vineyard wines aren’t easy to find at your local wine spots, like Beltramo’s.
The tasting room is very welcoming, with a nice cross-​generational, gender neutral vibe going on. I think you’ll all feel like Taste Morgan is speaking your language — the language of Vitis vinifera, that is!
Have a great time tasting wines at Morgan, Julia. Bring a bottle of their Tempranillo home for the BF, or grab an ’04 Cab from Boete on the way back. He’ll love it, any way you choose.

I’m a new member to Morgan. It should be worth it since their Twelve Clones Pinot and Metallico Chard are two of my fav wines. I like the tasting room location — conveniently at the Crossroads. Friendly ladies and fun wine theme gifts.

It’s easy, I find, for casual wine fans to overlook the developing wine region of the Monterey Peninsula and, by default, look past growers like Morgan and assume, erroneously, that they’re new and/​or untalented at what they do.
Such assumptions are… well, especially in the case of Morgan, just so patently wrong.
In addition to the Pinot and Chardonnay which every maker in this area grows, Morgan has an extensive library and, if you take the time to explore the depths of what these folks have produced over the years, you’ll be quite pleased with their wine.
Well worth the stop Unilocalers, check them out!

Went for the Thank You annual event. Very pleasant. Picked up discounted bottles (only time in a year that Morgan discounts) of 2010 Gary’s Vineyard Pinot. Tasting was seemingly limitless and complementary. Excellent!
Food was great, staff attentive. Everyone had a good time.

I’m new to the Monterey area, but a veteran of tasting rooms throughout Napa and Sonoma. I first gravitated to Morgan in Carmel, because pretty much anything that comes from their Double L vineyards makes me weak in the knees.
What took this rating all the way to 5 stars was how immediately at home Deborah and (sorry, didn’t catch the others names!) the other staff made us feel. Deborah in particular is a gem. She knows her wines, is passionate about the winery, and creates a relaxed, welcoming environment with her easy way with conversation and warm disposition. Great wines. Great people to enjoy it with.
In short, Morgan quickly became a destination for us — the kind of place you want friends and family to experience — which I’ve done now on several, no, a number of occasions since moving here.
Loved the range of gift items, too. Snagged this beautiful French Jacquard table cloth that was way better than anything I’d seen in France. I realized that I really enjoy getting to check out things that aren’t strictly tied to wines and the winery (yawn). To me this says Morgan is sufficiently confident in its product that it doesn’t feel the need to cram a bunch of logo-​ridden key chains, wine glasses, coasters and those oh-​so-​flattering t-​shirts into your pockets on your way out the door.
It’s a fresh, fun environment for tasting wines. Grab a friend and go settle into one of the overstuffed chairs. You can thank me later.

Very, very impressive Pinot vintages. The ever so delicate grapes are grown right in the St. Lucia highlands where the cool coastal air enters through an inlet in the valley and keeps the berries cool and mild. The result is an amazing explosion of flavors that hints of fruit varietals suitable for any occasions.
The sommelier on attendance was particularly witty and knowledgeable, a fine value of entertainment for $ 5. The tasting room’s ambiance looked affluent but nothing pretentious, we felt welcome and greeted with smiles and laughter… well, a bottle of good Pinot Noir will always produce a smile.

What a fabulous tasting room!
With a daughter named Morgan Belle, I knew I would just love the Morgan wine. My husband, baby girl, and I popped in one day to check it out and are so glad that we did. The wine club is a phenomenal deal. 20% off wine, 10% off merchandise, complimentary tastings? Sign me up. All you have to do is commit to purchasing 3 bottles of wine every 4 months which we would have done anyways. Paul is the BEST. It’s great to walk into a place (especially that serves wonderful wine) and have them know your name, point you to the nearest comfy couch and bring you pours of wine every few minutes.
We’ve taken several groups of family and friends there with us and they all love it like we do. We will be enjoying Morgan wine for years to come.

Wine is always pretty good but what I love about Taste Morgan (besides the fun adorable wine accessories) is the staff. Deborah is always there with a smile. She warmly welcomes everyone as they walk in like she was throwing a dinner wine party at her own home. She is so genuine and just a ball to be around. Rafael poured us a few rounds of tastings and my Mom, sisters and I enjoyed chatting with him and learning about the wines. Whenever I’m in the area I always try and stop by to say hello.
Last night we picked up two bottles of ’08 Syrah and a couple of the ’09 Cotes du Crow’s (Syrah/​Grenache blend)… my Mom took a Syrah home and gifted the other to the chef at a local restaurant they were headed to and I took one of the Cotes du Crow’s and opened it at a food sampling party. People enjoyed the special blend and most importantly the chef who threw the party loved every sip of it.

LOVE LOVE LOVE This wine. I wish I could buy more! The Morgan label itself is a more premier wine, but the value is definitely there! Most of the varietals have different styles, for example they had 4 kinds of Chardonnay each differing stylistically, (one may have more oak, or different location, etc). Also there is an additional label they sell for more of a budget wine seeker which I landed a couple bottles of on my last visit.
My favorite is the Pinot Noir, must try it, it is amazing, they have 4 varietals each with its own distinct characteristics!
The location is great in Carmel, and the crossroads shopping mall is clean, beautiful, and full of boutique shops.
Also, the people working there were very knowledgeable and friendly!
This is a must stop on your next visit to Carmel!