SCORES
2023
2023 Morgen Long Willamette Valley Chardonnay
Jeb Dunnuck 94
Vinous 94
Wine Advocate 93
A bright yellow-green hue, the 2023 Chardonnay Willamette Valley takes things to the next level. It offers a silky, rounded feel with notes of fresh pear, wet stones, lime oil, floral perfume, and hints of almond. Medium to full-bodied, it has a refreshing spine of acidity and a salty, mineral texture. There’s concentration and extract, although it remains leaner than the Black Label. Drink over the next 8-10 years. -Audrey Frick, Jeb Dunnuck, 94
The 2023 Chardonnay Willamette Valley opens with a gentle whiff of sweet spice that gives way to mineral-infused nectarine and a hint of sage as it blossoms in the glass. Rounded textures and ripe orchard fruit sweep across the palate. Saline concentration and nuances of tart citrus add form toward the close. A caking of chalky, salty concentration lingers as this tapers off remarkably fresh and full of lively tension. -Eric Guido, Vinous, 94
The 2023 Willamette Valley Chardonnay is blended from the single vineyards in the Morgen Long portfolio, including Durant, Koosah and Temperance Hill. Matured for 12 months in 20% new oak plus an additional six months in stainless steel, it has pretty aromas of white peach, quince, honey, citrus blossoms and well-integrated wafts of flint. The light-bodied palate pairs concentrated flavors with vibrant acidity, and it has a long, energetic finish. -Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, 93
2023 Morgen Long X Omni Vineyard Chardonnay
Jeb Dunnuck 98
Vinous 97
Wine Advocate 93+
The 2023 Chardonnay X Omni Vineyard displays a bright straw/yellow hue with a youthful green tinge. It opens with intense reductive lift, in a style I love, revealing notes of candlewax, pear, green apple skin, and lemon-lime zest. The palate is silky and pure, with candied lime, salty freshness, and vibrant acidity. There’s a custard-like creaminess on the finish, with incredible structure and length that will only improve with several more years in bottle. Built for the long haul, it’s equally matched in ripeness and high acidity. This wine should evolve beautifully over two decades. -Audrey Frick, Jeb Dunnuck, 98
Distinctly savory in the glass, the 2023 Chardonnay X Omni Vineyard blends wild herbs with citrus-laced peach, cardamom and white smoke. The palate is beautifully balanced, with ripe pit fruits contrasted by nuances of lemon zest over silken textures. Its finish is extremely long and full of youthful tension, leaving the palate buzzing with a mix of residual acids and stern mineral tones. An outstanding interpretation of X Omni fruit. -Eric Guido, Vinous, 97
The 2023 Chardonnay X Omni Vineyard comes from 15 different clones and includes 3% Aligoté. Matured for 12 months in 67% new oak plus an additional six months in stainless steel, it has slowly unfurling scents of stone fruit, panna cotta, vanilla, toast and spice. The light-bodied palate features flinty flavors lengthened by a softly grippy texture. It’s framed by tangy acidity and has a long, creamy finish. It opens dramatically with air and should benefit from a few years in the cellar. -Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, 93+
2023 Morgen Long The Eyrie Vineyards Chardonnay
Jeb Dunnuck 98
Vinous 98
Wine Advocate 93+?
Coming from the Dundee Hills, from Draper clone vines planted in 1968 and aged in a single new barrel, the 2023 Chardonnay The Eyrie Vineyards is a bright yellow-green color. It offers aromas of smoky wet stones, toasted spice, ripe peach, grapefruit, and almond. Full-bodied, it boasts tremendous depth, richness, and Grand Cru-like levels of intensity and texture. Drink over the next 15 years. -Audrey Frick, Jeb Dunnuck, 98
Smoky reduction gives way to crushed almonds, incense and dusty florals, all complicating dried apricots as the 2023 Chardonnay The Eyrie Vineyards blossoms in the glass. The palate traverses savory and sweet, with ripe orchard fruits and a cascade of sweet spice offset by a tinge of sour citrus and crunchy mineral tones. Exceptional length and clarity define this 2023 Chardonnay, which really plays with the palate and leaves the mouth watering for more. Flinty nuances linger well over a minute. -Eric Guido, Vinous, 98
The 2023 Chardonnay The Eyrie Vineyards comes from own-rooted vines planted in 1968 in volcanic soils. It was matured for 12 months in one new oak barrel, plus an additional six months in stainless steel, then bottled under Diam 30 corks. It’s made in an unapologetically flinty, polarizing style, with overt matchstick aromas that obscure wafts of grapefruit and almonds, while the medium-bodied palate offers hints of beeswax and lime. It’s balanced by bright acidity, and a touch of textural grip extends the finish. That flintiness is too much for me, but some drinkers will love it. -Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, 93+?
2023 Morgen Long Koosah Vineyard Chardonnay
Jeb Dunnuck 96
Vinous 95
Wine Advocate 94
Seth began working with the Koosah Vineyard in 2021. The 2023 Chardonnay Koosah Vineyard is bright yellow in color and shows exceptional detail in its notes of green apples, lime oil, and salty earth. It amplifies everything found in the Willamette cuvée, yet with more tension and laser-focused persistence without austerity. Seth attributes the clarity and focus to working with Damy barrels with a longer and lighter toast, which seems to melt into the wine's fabric seamlessly. Expect this to drink well for 12-15 years. -Audrey Frick, Jeb Dunnuck, 96
The 2023 Chardonnay Koosah Vineyard is aromatically delicate in the glass, mixing notes of lemon oil, dusty sage and wet stone to form its inviting bouquet. It is texturally intense and nearly weighty in feel, offering fresh acidity for balance as ripe green apple tones meld with salty minerals, adding lovely contrast. The finish is long and savory, gently structured with saline nuances fading slowly. Give this youngster time to find its footing. A gentle giant. -Eric Guido, Vinous, 95
The 2023 Chardonnay Koosah Vineyard comes from several different clones planted in 2016 and 2019 at 800 to 1,000 feet of elevation. Matured for 12 months in 53% new oak plus an additional six months in stainless steel, it has slowly unfurling scents of matchstick, red apple, peaches, beeswax and lime peel. The medium-bodied palate has a silky texture and segues from bright citrus to honey-nut flavors. It’s framed by taut acidity and has a long, mineral-laced finish. It will benefit from several years in the cellar. -Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, 94
2023 Morgen Long Temperance Hill Vineyard Chardonnay
Jeb Dunnuck 96
Vinous 96
Wine Advocate 95
A bright yellow/platinum color with a green hue, the 2023 Chardonnay Temperance Hill Vineyard is lifted and lively, with focused aromas of lime zest, white peach, white pepper, and fresh flowers. Full-bodied, the palate is silky and rounded, with a Marcona almond-like texture and a long, mouthwatering finish. This is an exceptional vintage of Temperance, offering a long, salty, and enduring feel. Drink 2025-2040. -Audrey Frick, Jeb Dunnuck, 96
The 2023 Chardonnay Temperance Hill Vineyard evolves in the glass, revealing a wonderfully complex bouquet of musky apricot, dusty sage, shavings of ginger, lime zest and cracked slate. Silken in feel, it washes across the palate with opulent ripe pit fruits supported by brisk acidity while nuances of sour citrus provide lovely contrast. Salty mineral tones echo on the finish, offset by an air of sweet spice and tapering off long and salivating with a subtle tinge of sour melon. -Eric Guido, Vinous, 96
The 2023 Chardonnay Temperance Hill Vineyard comes from Dijon vines planted in 2019 in volcanic soils. Matured for 12 months in 53% new French oak plus an additional six months in stainless steel, initial tones of matchstick give way to grilled peaches, grapefruit, panna cotta, chamomile, pie crust and almonds. The medium-bodied palate is expressive and satiny with nuanced, mouth-coating flavors. It’s balanced by vibrant acidity and has a long, perfumed finish. It opens dramatically with air and will benefit from time in a decanter. -Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, 95
2023 Morgen Long Witness Tree Vineyard Chardonnay
Jeb Dunnuck 95
Vinous 96
Wine Advocate 94+
From an early-ripening site at 600 to 680 feet elevation, with Clone 87 (a Dominique Lafon import) in the mix, the 2023 Chardonnay Witness Tree Vineyard is bright yellow with green tinges. More floral in character, it features light tropical notes of mango and apricot, softened by delicate oak spices. The wine is full-bodied yet approachable, with a long, vibrant finish. It’s the most accessible in the range of single-vineyard wines, but it offers plenty of aging potential. Drink 2025-2037. -Audrey Frick, Jeb Dunnuck, 95
The 2023 Chardonnay Witness Tree Vineyard is savory and intense, with masses of white smoke and crushed rocks blowing off to reveal lime-tinged green apples and nuances of pine. Its textures possess a nearly oily feel, supported by tantalizing acidity. Ripe orchard fruit swirls across the palate as inner floral tones resonate throughout. Tension reverberates here, zesty yet pure, with a caking of mineral concentration. -Eric Guido, Vinous, 96
The 2023 Chardonnay Witness Tree Vineyard comes from vines planted in 2019 in volcanic soils. It was barrel fermented and matured for 12 months in 53% new oak, plus an additional six months in stainless steel. It has dynamic aromas of nectarine, grapefruit, beeswax, cereal, honey and flint. The light-bodied palate is coiled at this stage, offering flinty white fruit and fireworks of fresh acidity. It opens dramatically with air and will benefit from 2-3 years in the cellar. -Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, 94+
2023 Morgen Long Eola Amity Hills Chardonnay
Jeb Dunnuck 95
Vinous 96
Wine Advocate 94
Pale yellow in color, the 2023 Chardonnay Eola-Amity Hills is flinty and mineral, with notes of smoky, wet stones, and crisp green apples. Fruit coming from Temperance Hill adds energy and lift to the blend. The palate is high-toned yet ripe, with notes of candied lime that linger on the finish. It’s bright, precise, and pure. Drink 2025-2035. -Audrey Frick, Jeb Dunnuck, 95
The 2023 Chardonnay Eola Amity Hills is youthfully coy, opening slowly with a flinty, almost smoky character as lemon and lime mingle with nectarine and a whiff of ginger. Balanced inner sweetness and soothingly round textures meet juicy acidity and mineral-laced orchard fruit, creating a sense of pure pleasure. The finish is long and full of cheek-puckering tension, leaving the senses completely cleansed while a nuance of spice lingers. Nearly impossible to stop at just one glass. -Eric Guido, Vinous, 96
The 2023 Chardonnay Eola-Amity Hills comes from the Koosah, Temperance Hill, X Omni and Witness Tree vineyards. Matured for 12 months in 53% new oak plus an additional six months in stainless steel, it has slowly unfurling scents of white peach, grapefruit, lime, beeswax, toast and honey. The light-bodied palate has a satiny texture, expressive, creamy flavors and well-integrated oak spice. It’s enlivened by fireworks of fresh acidity and has a very long finish. -Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, 94
2023 Morgen Long Black Label Chardonnay
#75 Jeb Dunnuck’s Top 100 of 2025
Jeb Dunnuck 94
Vinous 93
Wine Advocate 93
The 2023 Chardonnay (Black Label) shows a bright silver/yellow hue. Made with older puncheons and stainless steel, with no new wood, this may be one of the best values Seth has ever released. It bursts with green apples, lime candy, salty earth, and hints of white pepper. Youthful and lightly effervescent at this stage, it’s medium-bodied but packed with intensity. 13 barrels were produced. -Audrey Frick, Jeb Dunnuck, 94
The 2023 Chardonnay Black Label cascades from the glass with savory herbal tones, crushed rocks and nuances of apricot. Round textures soothe as ripe orchard fruits swirl across a stimulating core of acid and minerals. The finish is beautifully clean, leaving a crunchy saline sensation and a note of sour citrus that lingers. -Eric Guido, Vinous, 93
The 2023 Chardonnay Black Label comes from six different vineyards, including Witness Tree, Durant, Koosah and X Omni. Matured for 17 months in used oak and stainless steel, initial wafts of flint and petrichor give way to apple, pear, lemon pith and beeswax aromas. The light-bodied palate is surprisingly expressive, offering ripe peach, honey and hazelnut flavors and a silky texture. Racy acidity and flinty tones give it a shimmery feel, and it has a very long finish. -Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, 93
NV Morgen Long Memorie IV Chardonnay Solera Pink Label
Jeb Dunnuck 96
Vinous 92
Wine Advocate 93
A new wine in the lineup, and not your everyday summertime rosé, the NV Chardonnay Memorie IV Solera (Pink Label) has a bright silver/pink hue. Produced in a solera style, it’s made from Chardonnay aged for two years on the lees of Pinot Noir. Notes of peach, hibiscus, rooibos, green apple, suggestions of red fruit, and well-managed reduction are followed by a medium to full-bodied rosé with Pinot-like texture as well as the complexity and clarity of the best Morgen Long whites. Serious, vibrant, and long-lasting on the finish, it has the bones to last a decade. Drink over the next 10 years. -Audrey Frick, Jeb Dunnuck, 96
The NV Chardonnay Memorie IV (Pink Label) displays a pretty pink color and a bouquet of minty herbs, nuances of tomato leaf and citrus-laced strawberries. The palate is soothingly round, with lovely inner sweetness and steely mineral tones that complicate its tart orchard fruits. A saline tinge persists through the savory finale as a pleasantly sour twang lingers on. -Eric Guido, Vinous, 92
In the past, Morgen Long’s Chardonnay Memorie and Chardonnay Pink Label have been bottled separately: the Memorie as a non-vintage solera, currently comprising over 70 lots from eight vintages and 14 vineyards; the Pink Label as a vintage rosé, with a small addition of Pinot Noir lees added for color. This year, proprietor and winemaker Seth Morgen Long decided to combine the two concepts to produce a solera rosé d'assemblage. “These two programs took shape in my mind during a visit to Selosse,” he says, “but I never thought to combine the programs until these wines and lots were in the cellar together.”
The NV Memorie IV Chardonnay Solera Pink Label is the fourth bottling of the solera Chardonnay, with 7% Pinot Noir lees added to produce its pale cherry-pink color. The nose is bursting with scents of red berries, peaches, grapefruit, almonds and fresh bread. The light-bodied palate features surprisingly concentrated flavors. It’s balanced by bright, refreshing acidity that lures you in for another sip, and a hint of textural grip lengthens the finish. -Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, 93
2022
2022 Morgen Long Willamette Valley Chardonnay
Jeb Dunnuck 93
Vinous 92
Decanter 96
James Suckling 92
Wine Advocate (91-93)
A little softer than what Seth typically looks for, the 2022 Chardonnay Willamette Valley is pretty in the glass and fresh with aromas of bright fresh green apple, pear, candied lime, dewy earth, and fresh flowers. It pours a bright straw/youthful hue and has lovely tension on the palate, with an even feel and good depth, although it feels weightless and elegant. It has a fantastic, clean, salty flourish and is long on the finish. This is a killer appellation wine to drink over the next 7-8 years. 500 cases were produced. -Audrey Frick, Jeb Dunnuck, 93
The 2022 Chardonnay Willamette Valley is a total pleasure, with a blend of vividly ripe apple and apricot, crushed rocks and sage. It opens with a pleasant inner sweetness, contrasted by salty mineral tones as crisp orchard fruits cascade across the palate. This is incredibly fresh and energetic yet complex as well, leaving a flinty sensation and hints of sour citrus to linger on. -Eric Guido, Vinous, 92
Seven different vineyards, this is a true blend of the cellar. It's a glorious wine with smashed granite minerality, smoky flint, and grilled lemon peel. Cut Granny Smith apples, bright mint, and smoky lime flavours commence a parade of fruit and smoky stone, the signature of Seth Morgen Long's approach to creating intense, ethereal Chardonnays. ‘This is the most important one that I make, says Seth. ‘This is my proposition of the Willamette Valley.’ The assemblage of vineyards come and go. There are lots of volcanic soils and that Eola-Amity Hills spice; Seth believes it's the Valley's best Chardonnay appellation. Just under 30% new oak. 2022 was a challenging vintage owing to the loss of yields from frost. -Clive Pursehouse, Decanter, 96
This cool and saline chardonnay has aromas and flavors of salted almonds, fresh apricots, mangoes and nutmeg. Flinty and bright, but with good density on the creamy, medium-bodied palate. Drink or hold. -Claire Nesbitt, James Suckling, 92
I tasted the 2022 Chardonnay Willamette Valley from tank two months before it was due to be bottled. Grapes are sourced from vineyards across the appellation, including Durant, Blue Heron Farm, Seven Springs, X Omni and Witness Tree. The wine was matured for 12 months in 28% new French oak and six months in stainless steel. It has layered aromas of Meyer lemon, honey, almonds, acacia, crème fraîche and integrated flinty streaks. The light-bodied palate features understated fruit and generous floral perfume. Its textural grip is balanced by mouthwatering acidity, and it has a long, ethereal finish. 500 cases will be bottled. -Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, (91-93)
2022 Morgen Long X Omni Vineyard Chardonnay
Jeb Dunnuck 98
Vinous 96
Decanter 95
James Suckling 96
Wine Advocate 92
The 2022 Chardonnay X Omni Vineyard is a bright yellow hue, and its nose is fantastic and has a lot to offer, with notes of white pepper, sweet smoke, jasmine, salted lime, and white peach. Mid-weight and focused, it’s finessed all the way through and is weightless and mouthwatering. It is consistently one of my favorite wines in the range, and the 2022 is no exception. It's incredibly tasty now, but I recommend stashing this away and hiding it (from myself) for a few years. Drink 2025-2037. -Audrey Frick, Jeb Dunnuck, 98
The 2022 Chardonnay X Omni Vineyard is understated in the glass, slowly evolving with hints of raw almond, white flowers, freshly sliced nectarines and chlorophyll. This seductress is elegant and refined with medium-weight textures and vividly ripe orchard fruits, all offset by a salty tinge toward the close. It finishes long and youthfully structured, leaving a crunchy, nearly chalky sensation that resonates. What a beauty. Patience will be required to reveal its hidden charms. The X Omni was refined in 70% new oak. -Eric Guido, Vinous, 96
Seth believes that X Omni is Oregon's most serious Chardonnay site, planted to 4 hectares of Chardonnay. Seth gets blocks 4 and 5, which are younger vines. This wine is a concentration of saline elements, and grilled citrus, lemon drop candy powder, and juicy citrus are braced by petrichor and spice. The palate reflects the spine-tingling minerality with lots of green mangoes and grilled pineapple. Oak and reduction give Seth his smoky citrus signature; he goes for structure and texture; his technique is so constrained (in each wine) that he hopes to show the site signature in each bottling. This wine is complex owing to the marriage of the two blocks with the differing ripeness. He really pushes this wine from pressing to oak. -Clive Pursehouse, Decanter, 95
This has sophisticated aromas of cashew butter, fresh apricots, lemon curd and vanilla custard. Some slate and sage on the palate, too, which is medium- to full-bodied, cool and caressing. Bright backbone of acidity with a creamy mouth-feel. Long and classy. Drink or hold. -Claire Nesbitt, James Suckling, 96
The 2022 Chardonnay X Omni Vineyard comes from 15 different clones planted in volcanic soils between 2014 and 2016. It was matured for 12 months in 70% new oak puncheons plus an additional six months in stainless steel, then bottled under Diam 30 corks. It has open-knit aromas of white peach, quince paste, hazelnut, cereal and spice. The light-bodied palate features understated, honeyed flavors and a softly creamy texture. It’s balanced by vibrant, focused acidity and has a long, nutty finish. -Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, 92
2022 Morgen Long Temperance Hill Vineyard Chardonnay
Jeb Dunnuck 96
Vinous 93
Decanter 95
James Suckling 95
Wine Advocate 92+
From a young vine block of the vineyard, the 2022 Chardonnay Temperance Hill Vineyard is a bright silver yellow color and has delicate notes of quince and citrus blossoms. The palate is more coiled and compact, and it has a long finish. Drink 2025-2037. -Audrey Frick, Jeb Dunnuck, 96
The 2022 Chardonnay Temperance Hill Vineyard opens with an herbal thrust, mixing yellow apples and crushed rocks. It's nearly salty in mineral concentration, flowing across the palate with silky textures as flint-infused white pit fruits swirl throughout. The 2022 finishes with staining length and concentration, leaving a spicy sensation and hints of sour citrus that linger on. The 2022 was produced without any new wood, using first- and second-fill barrels. -Eric Guido, Vinous, 93
A Willamette Valley icon, Temperance Hill, which was picked for this wine on the 9th of October, 2022. This is Morgen Long's second year getting fruit from the site, which was young vines planted in 2019 and the Dijon 76 clone. This young block is planted in short rows, facing north, which differs from the east and south-facing old vines. The fruit that winemaker Seth Morgen Long gets is a fourth leaf. The Chardonnay is energetic and almost electric, with smoky flint and crushed slate, lemon drop candy. The palate shows absolute linearity, crushed slate, and briny oyster shell, and the throughline of smoky citrus pulp intensity is maintained in the Morgen Long Chardonnays. This wine has no new oak, which is a departure from the winemaking style.-Clive Pursehouse, Decanter, 95
This is showing lemongrass, roasted-cashew, green-apple, nutmeg and chamomile aromas. Rocky and mineral, but also subtly nutty, it’s medium- to full-bodied, textured and expressive, while retaining the coolness that is classic of the appellation. Long and electric finish. Drink or hold. -Claire Nesbitt, James Suckling, 95
The 2022 Chardonnay Temperance Hill Vineyard comes from Dijon vines planted in 2019 in volcanic soils. Matured for 12 months in used oak plus six months in stainless steel, overt matchstick aromas slowly give way to soft scents of poached pears, chamomile and petrichor. The light-bodied palate is more open at this stage, offering a satiny texture and perfumed orchard fruit. It’s framed by taut acidity and has a long, flinty finish. It opens dramatically with air and will benefit from time in the cellar. -Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, 92+
2022 Morgen Long Witness Tree Vineyard Chardonnay
Jeb Dunnuck 95
Vinous 94
Decanter 94
James Suckling 94
Wine Advocate (93-95)
The 2022 Chardonnay Witness Tree Vineyard pours a bright silver/yellow color and offers notes of light toast flint, crystalline green apples, fresh lime leaf, and fresh flowers. The palate is medium-framed, with an approachable feel, a fantastic texture, a good deal of length, and with a light chalky finish with a note of pear. It’s elegant and retains its good structure, and it’s going to age well over the next 8-10 years. -Audrey Frick, Jeb Dunnuck, 95
Savory to the core, the 2022 Chardonnay Witness Tree Vineyard smolders up with an array of dusty sage, green apples and gingery spice. Soothingly round yet cool-toned in feel, this impresses with its contrasting nature as ripe fruits offset citrusy acidity and salty mineral tones. It puckers the cheeks with residual tension, tapering off long and potent while keeping the mouth watering for more. The Witness Tree Vineyard Chardonnay was one of the most heavily yield-affected wines in 2022, more a result of downy mildew than frost. Production totaled only 90 cases. -Eric Guido, Vinous, 94
Witness Tree is a plot many are excited about in the Willamette Valley, which has recently come under new ownership. The wine shows iron and loads of minerality, along with grilled lemon peel and lime seeds. The palate shows lemon pith, dried lime leaf and a steely mineral tang. The site is at 250m, tucked in near the top of the ridge. Young vines planted in 2019 are already producing compelling wines. Seth believes that the intention of these young vine sites is all about intentional approaches to the grape and seriousness with Chardonnay planting. Made with 28% new oak. -Clive Pursehouse, Decanter, 94
Flinty and reductive at first, evolving to seashell, thyme, salted-butter, candied-ginger and white-pear aromas. It’s medium-bodied, taut and cool but ripe, with a salty streak running through the wine. Tangy, lively finish. Drink or hold. -Claire Nesbitt, James Suckling, 94
I tasted the 2022 Chardonnay Witness Tree Vineyard from tank two months before it was due to be bottled. It was matured for 12 months in 28% new Damy oak barrels, plus six months in stainless steel. Initial flinty tones complement grapefruit, lemon peel, meringue and beeswax on the nose. The light-bodied palate is surprisingly luxurious! Its expansive, satiny flavors segue from bright citrus to honey and nuts, and its flinty character is well integrated at this stage. Its firm, focused acidity provides an excellent foil for its concentrated flavors, and it has a very long, nuanced finish. 95 cases are expected. -Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, (93-95)
2022 Morgen Long Eola-Amity Hills Chardonnay
Jeb Dunnuck 97
Vinous 94
Decanter 95
James Suckling 94
Wine Advocate 93
A pale silver/yellow hue, the 2022 Chardonnay Eola-Amity Hills is pretty on the nose, with notes of rocky earth, a suggestion of flint (although it’s not pronounced), fresh linen, powdery white flowers, dewy pear, and fresh lemon-lime citrus. Medium-framed, it is going to take time for this to flesh out, but its mineral drive and persistent texture are long on the palate. It’s electric on the palate, with a long, stony, pure finish. Drink 2025-2027. -Audrey Frick, Jeb Dunnuck, 97
The 2022 Chardonnay Eola-Amity Hills tempts the imagination with a nuanced blend of lime zest, evergreen, mint and green apples. It flows across the palate with silken textures and mediumbodied weight, showing an intensely salty mineral concentration that further enhances its tart orchard fruits. The 2022 renders the palate thoroughly cleansed—squeaky clean—leaving an airy freshness as a lemony concentration slowly fades. This is the last vintage in which this cuvée will include fruit from Seven Hills Vineyard. It was matured in 17% new oak, with the majority of the balance in second-fill barrels. -Eric Guido, Vinous, 94
This Eola-Amity bottling is comprised of some of the appellations' most choice sites. Two-thirds Seven Springs and one-third X Omni vineyard with less than 20% new oak. It's a wine loaded with verve and electricity—aromas of crunchy sea salt and lime pith transition to crushed stone. The palate is lean and angular with pulsating vibrancy. It's the most aromatic of Morgen Long's line-up. Many once-filled barrels give the palate characteristics of smoky flint, crushed slate and dried lime leaves. Gorgeous. -Clive Pursehouse, Decanter, 95
This cool and complex white has aromas and flavors of Amalfi lemons, salted yellow plums, salted butter and cedar. Hints of jasmine and ginger, too. It’s medium-bodied, zesty and pristine, with spicy and salty elements on the long finish. Drink or hold. -Claire Nesbitt, James Suckling, 94
The 2022 Chardonnay Eola-Amity Hills comes from the Seven Springs (67%) and X Omni (33%) vineyards. It was matured for 12 months in 17% new Damy oak puncheons, plus an additional six months in stainless steel. It has slowly unfurling scents of apricot, vanilla, panna cotta, hazelnut and petrichor. The light-bodied palate is leanly styled with understated white fruits and gently tangy acidity. It has a long, matchstick-laced finish and may benefit from time in the cellar. -Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, 93
2022 Morgen Long Pink Label Chardonnay
Jeb Dunnuck 94
Vinous 93
Decanter 93
Wine Advocate (91-93)
The 2022 Pink Label is floral with notes of cherry blossoms, raspberries, and wet stone. Refreshing and vibrant on the palate, it has a medium-bodied frame and is zesty with lifted orange and salty earth. It’s going to drink well over the next 7-8 years. This has more in common with a seriously styled wine than the typical rosé. -Audrey Frick, Jeb Dunnuck, 94
Unexpectedly complex. the 2022 Rosé Pink Label is a veritable flower shop on the nose, revealing aromas of wild strawberry, dusty sage, rose, lavender and wet stone. This is racy and intense, with a mineral tinge up front further enhanced by tart orchard fruits and sour citrus. It leaves the palate completely cleansed and literally watering for more, lingering with the slightest hint of sour melon. Inspired by Selosse, the Rosé Pink Label is composed of 96% Willamette Valley Chardonnay and 4% Pinot Noir lees. -Eric Guido, Vinous, 93
A rosé d'assemblage from Chardonnay with a dash of Pinot Noir lees from Sequitur. This is usually 3-4 barrels of each vintage and will be filtered before bottling. After 13 months on Chardonnay lees, the Chardonnay is blended with Pinot Noir lees to give it colour. Morgen Long wanted to do something that wasn't another Pinot Noir rosé. Fresh, saline, tart cranberry relish a wine of wonderful freshness with plenty of zing. -Clive Pursehouse, Decanter, 93
I tasted the 2022 Chardonnay Pink Label from tank two months before it was due to be bottled. From the Seven Springs (48%), Blue Heron Farm (48%) and Sequitur (4%) Vineyards, it contains four percent Pinot Noir lees, which gives it a pale cherry-pink color. Matured for one year in used French oak puncheons, it has aromas of melon, peach, grapefruit, green herbs, bread dough and floral perfume. The light-bodied palate features concentrated fruit balanced by a tangy acidity, and it has a long, gently creamy finish. Just 72 cases are expected. -Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, (91-93)
NV Morgen Long Memorie iii Chardonnay Solera
Jeb Dunnuck 96
Vinous 92
Decanter 94
Wine Advocate (91-93)
A brilliant silver/straw color, the NV Chardonnay Memorie is the third iteration of this wine. The nose gets back to reduction and shows off notes of wet stones, white peach, delicate toast, and citrus oil. It has lovely extract on the palate, with a weightless feel, an underlying stony texture, a mouthwatering feel, and a supple, rounded finish. It is pure and fresh all the way through. Drink 2024-2034. -Audrey Frick, Jeb Dunnuck, 96
A lovely blend of crushed apples, nectarines, lime zest, wet stone and mint wafts up from the NV Chardonnay Memorie III. This envelops the palate with rich, nearly oily textures, offset by a core of tart orchard fruits and brisk acidity as salty mineral tones collect toward the close. It leaves a lasting concentration, finishing unexpectedly fresh and leaving hints of ginger and sour melon in its wake. The Memorie III is the third edition of Long's Solera-aged Chardonnay—primarily comprising the 2022 and 2021 vintages, with the final third consisting of reserve wines going back to 2014. -Eric Guido, Vinous, 92
A captivating wine in the solera style, blending every lot of Chardonnay Morgen Long has produced into one wine. The base is comprised of 2014 through the 2019 vintage, then blended with equal parts 2022, 2021 and the base (33.3% each). This multi-vintage melange shows a unique look across the Valley and a decade of vintages. True to the house style, the wine displays aromatics of briny oyster shell, ginger and petrichor with a note of grilled lemon peel. The palate shows an elegance from age and hints at how the Morgen Long wines may evolve. -Clive Pursehouse, Decanter, 94
I tasted the NV Chardonnay Memorie from tank two months before it was due to be bottled. This third bottling of solera Chardonnay is composed of over 60 lots from eight vintages and 14 vineyards. "It's a perpetual blend of nearly every lot of Chardonnay I've produced," winemaker Seth Morgen Long explains. It has savory aromas of matchstick, hazelnuts and honey over a core of peach cobbler and quince paste. The medium-bodied palate features expansive, savory layers delivered in a gently grippy texture. It has a balance of mouthwatering acidity and a long, honey-nut finish. 50 cases will be bottled. -Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, (91-93)
2021 Morgen Long Eola Amity Hills Chardonnay (Late Release)
Jeb Dunnuck 99
Vinous 93+
Wine Advocate (92-94)
The 2021 Chardonnay Eola-Amity Hills comes from the best sites and pours a bright yellow/silver color. It’s fantastic on the nose, with notes of lemon curd, a hint of crystalline almondine, and preserved green apples. With a rounded texture and incredible length, this is a spectacular offering, and while it’s medium-framed, it has a decadent texture, electric acidity, and notes of salty earth and dark stones, but it’s all about its mineral finish. Drink it over the next 12 or more years. -Audrey Frick, Jeb Dunnuck, 99
The 2021 Chardonnay Eola-Amity Hills (Late Release) lifts from the glass with an array of dusty dried flowers, crushed rocks and nectarines. It's silky-smooth with ripe orchard fruits and juicy acidity that adds energy. Minty herbal tones and notes of raw almond form toward the close. It finishes savory and long, keeping the mouth watering as a saturation of tart citrus settles in. The 2021 was matured in a 50/50 combination of new and second-use oak. The Late Release can be identified by its white label. It’s a blend of X Omni, Seven Springs and Koosah Vineyard. -Eric Guido, Vinous, 93+
I tasted the 2021 Chardonnay Eola-Amity Hills, a late release, from tank two months before it was due to be bottled. Sourced from the X Omni (34%), Seven Springs (33%) and Koosah (33%) Vineyards, it was matured for 30 months in 50% new French oak puncheons, plus 18 months in stainless steel. It has intense aromas of baked apples, apricot and peach accented by tones of almonds, honey and matchstick. The medium-bodied palate is luxuriously satiny and mouth coating. Its textural breadth is balanced by bright acidity, and it has a long, gently creamy finish. Just 33 cases are expected. -Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, (92-94)
2021
2021 Morgen Long Willamette Valley Chardonnay
Jeb Dunnuck 93
View from the Cellar 93
Wine Advocate (93-95)
With 80% of the fruit coming from the Eola-Amity Hills AVA, and aged in 25% new French oak, the youthful straw-colored 2021 Chardonnay Willamette Valley is fresh and lively, with aromas of crisp green apple, fresh lime, white flowers, and wet stone. Continuing to the palate with fantastic focus, this wine is drinking beautifully right out of the gate and will no doubt continue to drink well over the coming 5-7 years. -Audrey Frick, Jeb Dunnuck, 93
The 2021 Chardonnay “Willamette Valley” bottling from Seth Long was made from fruit from seven different top vineyards, spread between the Dundee Hills, Yamhill-Carlton and EolaAmity Hills appellations. The wine ended up being raised in twenty-four percent new oak and was given a year of barrel aging before assemblage and a finishing six months of aging in stainless steel tank. It tips the scales at a svelte 12.8 percent octane in 2021 and offers up a beautifully expressive bouquet of pear, golden delicious apple, fresh almond, lemon blossoms, a lovely foundation of soil tones and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is crisp, elegant and full-bodied, with fine depth at the core, good mineral undertow, lovely focus and grip and a long, complex and seamlessly balanced finish. This is lovely juice. 2023-2040. -John Gilman, View from the Cellar, 93
The 2021 Chardonnay Willamette Valley, still in tank, has pure aromas of quince, peach and elderflower at this stage. The medium-bodied palate is silky with pure, concentrated flavors, energetic acidity and a very long finish with a pleasing touch of grip. -Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, (93-95)
2021 Morgen Long X Omni Vineyard Chardonnay
Jeb Dunnuck 100
Decanter 95
View from the Cellar 95
Wine Advocate (97-99)
The 2021 Chardonnay X Omni Vineyard was raised in 60% new oak and gives off a perfume of lemon curd as well as a nice, rounded touch to its delicate notes of wet asphalt. The palate has an outstanding spine of acidity, where the fruit is rounded with precision and balance. Energetic and seamless at the same time, I want to smell and drink this all day. It has a great, rounded mouthfeel with citrus oils that last for days on the palate. Drink 2025-2040. -Audrey Frick, Jeb Dunnuck, 100
This richly textured and nuanced Chardonnay evokes the best Burgundian tradition while remaining true to its Oregon roots. Aromas begin with lemon peel, nectarine and William pear before hints of ginger and anise develop, along with a touch of hazelnut. The feel on the palate is racy and concentrated, but there is nothing shrill here. The richness balances out the structure, ensuring that this wine will age gracefully for decades. It is assured and accomplished, made from one of the great sites in Oregon's premier region for Chardonnay. -Charles Curtis MW, Decanter, 95
Seth Long’s 2021 X Omni Vineyard bottling of chardonnay was all barrel-fermented and aged for its first year in oak puncheons, with sixty percent of the puncheons being new oak this year. The wine’s aromatic constellation is vibrant and very precise, delivering scents of lime, apple, raw almond, a complex base of minerality, white lilies and a gentle foundation of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, pure and full, with a beautiful core of fruit, superb soil signature, zesty acids, laser-like focus and a very long, very beautifully balanced and complex finish. This is going to be a stunning bottle of chardonnay with a bit of bottle age. Not that it is not already a delicious wine to drink, but there is so much more lurking here just below the surface and waiting for time to work its magic! The wine comes in at a racy 12.6 percent alcohol in 2021 and is as elegant as one could ever wish in an example of chardonnay. 2026-2045+. -John Gilman, View from the Cellar, 95
Still in tank, the 2021 Chardonnay X Omni Vineyard already feels complete, boasting a harmonious structure and aromas and flavors that seem to gain amplitude as the wine airs in the glass. It has youthful scents of pear, apple, allspice and crushed shell plus wafts of perfume, and the palate surprises with its powerful, perfumed citrus flavors. It has just enough matchstick quality to add complexity, a luxurious, satiny mouthfeel and tremendous energy. -Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, (97-99)
2021 Morgen Long Seven Springs Vineyard Chardonnay
Jeb Dunnuck 98
View from the Cellar 94
Wine Advocate (96-98)
The 2021 Chardonnay Seven Springs Vineyard brings forward stunning aromatics of balanced flinty reduction, toasty earth, lime candy, and pristine green apple. The palate is medium-bodied, with pithy citrus, long fruit on the palate, and an arch of concentration and great, clean lift. It has a distilled feel to its gorgeous purity and transparency, with well-integrated oak. -Audrey Frick, Jeb Dunnuck, 98
The 2021 Seven Springs Vineyard bottling of chardonnay from Seth Long is another gorgeous bottle in the making. Like all of these single vineyard wines, the wine was barrelfermented and aged in puncheons, with the final blend ending up being fifty percent new oak puncheons and a quarter each of one and two fill casks. The wine is a very civilized 12.9 percent octane this year and delivers a wide open nose of pear, apple, almond, spring flowers, a hint of the crème pâtissière to come with bottle age, lovely minerality and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is pure, precise and full-bodied, with a superb girdle of acidity, lovely focus and grip, a superb core of fruit and a long, soil-driven, well-balanced and complex finish. The wine is a bit more reserved on the palate today than the bouquet suggests, but after a few years in the cellar, this is going to be a superb glass of wine. 2026-2045+. -John Gilman, View from the Cellar, 94
Although the 2021 Chardonnay Seven Springs Vineyard is still in tank, it's shaping up to be one of the best iterations of this single-vineyard wine. Matchstick nuances open to perfumed peach, lemon peel, acacia, almonds and allspice on the nose, unfurling continuously as it spends time in the glass. The medium-bodied palate offers slow waves of pure, gently honeyed fruit. It's concentrated yet weightless, and its combination of generous fruit and mouthwatering acidity creates a haunting finish that calls you back to the glass. -Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, (96-98)
2021 Morgen Long Durant Vineyard Chardonnay
Jeb Dunnuck 95+
View from the Cellar 93+
Wine Advocate (95-97)
Aged in 25% new French oak, the 2021 Chardonnay Durant Vineyard pours a pale straw with green highlights and has gorgeous aromas of lime leaf, dusty earth, white peach, and fresh herbs. Medium-bodied, with tension, balanced fruit, and great structure, it remains pristine, with a light pithy snap of texture on the finish. -Audrey Frick, Jeb Dunnuck, 95+
The 2021 Chardonnay “Durant Vineyard” bottling from Morgen Long is made from his earliest picked fruit, as the warmer Dundee Hills had these grapes ready for harvest on August 30th in this vintage. The wine comes in at 12.83 percent alcohol this year and was raised in twentyseven percent new oak puncheons. The wine shows lovely complexity already on the nose, wafting from the glass in a mix of pear, apple, fresh almond, fruit blossoms, white lilies, a beautiful base of soil and a deft touch of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied and still tightlyknit, with a good core of fruit, lovely soil signature, zesty acids and impressive focus and balance on the long and nascently complex finish. Like all of these single vineyard bottlings from Seth Long, the 2021 Durant Chardonnay will demand a bit of cellaring before it starts to hit on all cylinders on the palate. 2027-2045+. -John Gilman, View from the Cellar, 93+
I tasted the 2021 Chardonnay Durant Vineyard from tank. It has pure aromas of white peach, lemon-lime, saline and lemongrass with flinty, nutty undertones. The medium-bodied palate is pure, focused and energetic with an intense core of perfumed fruit, a silky texture and alluring savory undertones coming through on the very long, textural finish. I love this combination of vibrancy and fruit intensity. -Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, (95-97)
2021 Morgen Long Eola Amity Hills Chardonnay
Vinous 95
View from the Cellar 92
The 2021 Chardonnay Eola-Amity Hills slowly unfurls with dried flowers, giving way to seductive notes of young mango, peach and, finally, a grounding hint of dusty stone. It fills the senses with saline mineral depths before ushering in a silky wave of ripe pit fruits, a zesty core of lemon and lime enlivening all. Its acidity wipes the palate clean, leaving a lingering flinty as the 2021 finishes with dramatic length and youthfully pent-up energy. The Eola-Amity Hills Chardonnay hails entirely from the Koosah vineyard. This is not to be missed. -Eric Guido, Vinous, 95
The fruit for the Eola-Amity Hills bottling hails from the organically-farmed Koosah Farm, with the vines planted on silty-clay topsoils over a hard foundation of volcanic basalt. Seth picked the fruit for this bottling on September 15th and ended up raising in it forty percent new oak for a year, prior to assemblage in tank for another six months of elevage. The 2021 wine comes in at 13.1 percent octane and offers up a lovely young nose of pear, apple, almond, white flowers, a touch of iodine, a lovely foundation of soil and a touch of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied, focused and nascently complex, with a lovely core of fruit, zesty acids and fine balance on the long and promising finish. This is certainly tasty already, but will benefit from a few years in the cellar to allow its secondary layers of complexity to emerge. Fine, fine juice. 20232045. -John Gilman, View from the Cellar, 92
2021 Morgen Long Chardonnay Marine
View from the Cellar 93
Wine Advocate (94-96)
The 2021 Chardonnay “Marine” cuvée from Morgen Long is made from a blend of three different vineyards that all share marine sedimentary soils. The wine saw no new oak, with the elevage all done in puncheons that range from one year-old to neutral older casks. The wine offers up a lovely, vibrant nose of apple, lemon, a hint of passion fruit, almond, gentle notes of iodine, salty soil tones, just a whisper of vanillin oak and a lovely topnote of citrus blossoms. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied and nicely racy, with a superb core of fruit, excellent mineral drive, lovely focus and a long, complex and impeccably balanced finish. This is a lovely drink out of the blocks, but like all of Seth Long’s chardonnays, it will improve dramatically with extended cellaring. 2023-2045+. -John Gilman, View from the Cellar, 93
Still in tank, the 2021 Chardonnay Marine has layered aromas of golden apples, lemon and orange peel, beeswax, almonds and allspice. The medium-bodied palate features saline-tinged fruit with focused, tangy acidity that offers ethereal lift. It's notably concentrated and has an alluring touch of phenolic grip on the long finish. -Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, (94-96)
2021 Morgen Long Pink Label Chardonnay
View from the Cellar 93
Wine Advocate (93-95)
Seth Long’s 2021 Chardonnay “Pink Label” bottling is his lowest octane this year, coming in at 12.27 percent alcohol. The wine is composed of ninety-five percent chardonnay from X-Omni Vineyard, combined with five percent pinot noir lees from the Jessie James Vineyard to give the wine its very delicate pink color. X Omni Vineyard is densely-planted, but still fairly young, with the chardonnay vines having gone into the ground between 2014 and 2016. Half the cuvée was barrel-fermented in new oak and half in stainless steel, with the young wines racked to older oak and smaller stainless steel respectively once the malo was completed. The wine is beautifully precise and complex aromatically, wafting from the glass in a mix of pear, tangerine, a touch of strawberry, stony minerality, a hint of iodine, a very discreet framing of vanillin oak and a topnote of white flowers. On the palate the wine is bright, fullish, complex and already drinking beautifully, with a lovely core, excellent backend lift and bounce, fine focus and a long, poised and vibrant finish. I have loved this unique bottling since I first tasted it and the 2021 Pink Label strikes me as the finest iteration yet of this superb cuvée. 2023-2045. -John Gilman, View from the Cellar, 93
The 2021 Chardonnay Pink Label, still in tank, comes from the X Omni vineyard. It has a pale salmon-pink color and aromas of peach preserves, cantaloupe, toast and floral perfume. The medium-bodied palate is packed with spicy flavors, and its generous freshness and textural grip will allow it to pair widely at the table. -Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, (93-95)
2020
2020 Morgen Long X Omni Vineyard Chardonnay
Jeb Dunnuck 94
View from the Cellar 94
Wine Advocate 95
International Wine Report 95
From grapes picked on the 20th of September and aged in 60% new wood, the 2020 Chardonnay X Omni is more generous with ripe tropical fruit aromas, while still being focused and pure, with hints of white flowers and sweet pear. The palate is fresh with green apple, lemon-lime citrus, baking spice, and a chalky texture on the finish. Drink 2022-2030. -Audrey Frick, Jeb Dunnuck, 94
I first became aware of the high quality of the densely-planted X Omni Vineyard during a visit to Walter Scott Wines a few years ago. These vines are still on the young side, but this is going to be one of the best sites for chardonnay on the west coast in coming years and is already producing really beautiful fruit. Seth Long picked his parcel here on September 20th, the day after the smoke cleared out of the Willamette Valley. The wine was barrel-fermented and aged for eleven and a half months in one new five hundred liter puncheon and a “one wine” three hundred and fifty liter cask. The wine was assembled in stainless steel to spend its second winter and then bottled in the February of 2022. It tips the scales at a svelte 12.5 percent alcohol this year. The wine is gently new oaky on the nose, wafting from the glass in a refined blend of apple, almond, lime blossoms, a beautiful base of soil, an exotic touch of fresh mint and a beautiful framing of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is bright, complex and full, with a superb core of fruit, marvelous soil signature, zesty acids and a very long, complex and intensely flavored finish. 2022-2045+. -John Gilman, View from the Cellar, 94
The 2020 Chardonnay X Omni Vineyard was picked on September 20, after smoke from the wildfires in the Willamette Valley cleared, and was matured in 60% new oak for around 11 months. It opens with some spritz from its 55 parts per million of free sulfur, plus aromas of matchstick over saline-tinged citrus fruit and savory undertones. The medium-bodied palate is much more generous at this stage, offering expansive, flinty flavors, linear acidity and a mineral-driven finish. The heavy matchstick character of this wine could be too much for some, and others might not be able to get enough of it. Although the X Omni is generally an age-worthy wine, I would be inclined to drink it on the earlier side due to the challenges of the vintage. Just 140 half-cases were made. -Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, 95
2020 Morgen Long The Eyrie Vineyards Chardonnay
View from the Cellar 94
Wine Advocate 95
These old vines, planted in 1968 on their original, ungrafted franc de pied roots, were the first that Seth Long commenced picking after the smokes cleared on September 19th. The must was chapitalized a half point this year and still only reached 12.4 percent octane, so this is an old school chardonnay that harkens back to the ripeness levels of white Burgundy back in the 1960s. The wine was raised entirely in a new oak barrel for eleven and a half months, prior to be racked into stainless steel to winter over prior to bottling. The bouquet is beautiful, offering up a gently oaky blend of apple, pear, hazelnut, acacia blossoms, lemon blossoms and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is bright, fullish, long and complex, with great intensity of flavor, vibrant acids, excellent focus and grip and a long, poised and seamlessly balanced finish. An understated beauty of the first degree! 2022-2050. -John Gilman, View from the Cellar, 94
The 2020 Chardonnay The Eyrie Vineyards, from vines planted in 1968, was picked on September 19 after smoke from the fires in Willamette Valley cleared and was fermented and matured for around 11 months in oak. "There will be no Eyrie in 2021 or 2022," winemaker Seth Morgen Long says, explaining that after the challenges in 2020, Jason Lett will be using those grapes for The Eyrie Vineyards brand. Interestingly, Long notes, "I gave it the appropriate amount of new oak—which is 100%." It takes plenty of time to unfurl in the glass, from matchstick and almonds to a core of honeycomb, peach, allspice and toast. The medium-bodied palate combines highly concentrated, honeyed fruit set in a satiny texture with tangy acidity and complex mineral tones, and it finishes with lots of energy. Although it feels clean, I would hedge my bets by enjoying this beautiful wine over the next few years. Only 57 half-cases were made. -Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, 95
2020 Morgen Long Seven Springs Vineyard Chardonnay
View from the Cellar 92+
Wine Advocate 94
The 2020 vintage of Seven Springs Vineyard chardonnay from Morgen Long was raised in sixty percent new oak this year (new Damy five hundred liter puncheon) and forty percent in a one wine three hundred and fifty liter cask. The wines comes in at 13.2 percent this year, with ninety cases produced. It offers up a beautifully gentle oak shading in its bouquet of pear, almond, chalky soil tones, chamomile, spring flowers and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied, focused and rock solid at the core, with lovely mineral drive and grip, zesty acids and lovely length and grip on the complex and very nicely balanced finish. This is a new oaky example of chardonnay that is also long on soil signature. Fine juice. 2022-2035+. -John Gilman, View from the Cellar, 92+
The 2020 Chardonnay Seven Springs Vineyard was picked on September 22, after the smoke from the wildfires in Willamette Valley cleared. It was fermented and matured for around 11 months in 50% new oak. It has intense aromas of peach, honey, allspice and toast, flavors that are echoed on the expansive palate. It has a creamy, gently grippy texture and a matchstick-laced finish. It's a great effort in a very challenging vintage. Drink it over the next few years. Just 73 cases were made. -Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, 94
2020 Morgen Long Seven Springs Vineyard Chardonnay Grey Label
Jeb Dunnuck 93
View from the Cellar 92+
International Wine Report 94
I tasted the grey label version of the 2020 Chardonnay Seven Springs, which opens with flinty reduction, along with savory herbs of chive, green apple, and lemon verbena. The palate is fresh with chalky texture, lemon curd, white flowers, baking spice, and a hint vanilla bean on the back end. Drink 2022-2032. -Audrey Frick, Jeb Dunnuck, 93
The primary difference between the 2020 Grey Label Seven Springs chardonnay from Seth Long and the wine above is that this bottling was not chapitalized, whereas the above was chapitalized a half a degree. So, the Grey Label comes in at 12.7 percent alcohol this year, and its elevage was essentially the same, with the wine raised in two three-hundred and fifty liter puncheons, with one of them new oak. The bouquet is pure and precise, offering up scents of pear, almond, spring flowers, chalky soil tones, fresh nutmeg, chamomile and a gentle base of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied, focused and complex, with a fine core, excellent transparency and grip, snappy acids and a long, beautifully balanced finish. This is a touch more tightly-knit out of the blocks and may be just a touch more precise on the backend than the white label bottling of Seven Springs. But, not surprisingly, the wines are very close in personality, as they hail from the same vineyard, with vines of the same age and clonal selection and both were picked on September 22nd in this vintage. 2022-2040. -John Gilman, View from the Cellar, 92+
2020 Morgen Long Durant Vineyard Chardonnay
View from the Cellar 95
Wine Advocate 97
International Wine Report 93
The 2020 Durant Vineyard bottling of chardonnay from Seth Long is from vines that were planted in 1999 and 2000, so they are really starting to come into their prime today. The wine comes in at 13.2 percent octane this year and was aged in forty percent new oak for eleven and a half months prior to assemblage in stainless steel for its second winter and bottling in the following spring. The bouquet is simply stunning this year, wafting from the glass in a refined blend of apple, pear, salty minerality, apple blossoms, fresh almond and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, focused and beautifully precise, with zesty acids, a superb core of fruit, great mineral drive and balance and a long, complex and vibrant finish. This is truly stunning. 2022-2050. -John Gilman, View from the Cellar, 95
The 2020 Chardonnay Durant Vineyard was picked on September 9, just as the wildfires were exploding in the Willamette Valley (but luckily before the smoke started to pour in). It comes from vines planted in 1999-2000 and was matured for around 11 months in 40% new oak. It has pure scents of peach, apricot and elderflower with nuances of beeswax and matchstick. The medium-bodied palate is satiny and expansive with savory, perfumed fruit, mouthwatering acidity and a very long, alluringly textural finish. Just 64 cases were made. -Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, 97
2020 Morgen Long Willamette Valley Chardonnay
View from the Cellar 91
Wine Advocate 91
International Wine Report 93
The 2020 Willamette Valley bottling of chardonnay from Seth Long has turned out beautifully. This is composed from fruit from three top vineyards: sixty percent Yamhill Vineyard, twenty-five percent X Omni Vineyard and fifteen percent Durant Vineyard. The wine is clean and pure on the nose, offering up a complex blend of pear, apple, acacia blossoms, a touch of beeswax, a lovely base of soil and a nice framing of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied and complex, with lovely acids, fine focus and grip, a very good core of fruit and a long, soil-driven and beautifully balanced finish. This will drink beautifully from release and is really a lovely bottle. 2022-2035+. -John Gilman, View from the Cellar, 91
The 2020 Chardonnay Willamette Valley comes from grapes picked before and after the wildfires in the Willamette Valley and was fermented and matured in 26% new oak for 11 months. It has open scents of warm apples, toast, allspice and matchstick. The medium-bodied palate has spicy flavors, tangy acidity and a rounded texture. Drink it over the next couple of years. 196 cases were made. -Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, 91
2020 Morgen Long Eola Amity Hills Chardonnay
View from the Cellar 93
Seth Long’s Eola-Amity Hills bottling of chardonnay is composed from a fifty-fifty blend of fruit from the X Omni Vineyard and the Seven Springs Vineyard. The wine was barrel- fermented in older casks and after malolactic was completed (which took much longer for the X Omni portion of the cuvée), the two lots were blended and aged in new, Damy five hundred liter puncheon for eight and a half months prior to bottling. The wine comes in at a svelte 12.5 percent octane this year and delivers a beautiful aromatic constellation of pear, apple, almond, a lovely base of white soil tones, dried flowers, a hint of fresh nutmeg and a refined foundation of buttery oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and beautifully structured, with a fine core of fruit, a superb girdle of acidity, precise focus and grip and a long, complex and vibrant finish. There were only fifty-two cases produced of this beautiful chardonnay! 2022-2040+. -John Gilman, View from the Cellar, 93
2020 Morgen Long Chardonnay Marine
View from the Cellar 91+
Wine Advocate 93
The 2020 Marine bottling of chardonnay from Seth Long hails entirely from the Loubejac Vineyard this year, with the wine raised in a pair of used three hundred and fifty liter puncheons and one four wine cask. The various barrels were blended back into stainless steel tank prior to their second winter and then bottled the following spring. The wine comes in at 13.3 percent this year and a pure and refined nose of pear, white peach, hazelnut, a refined base of soil, white flowers and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied, focused and wide open in personality, with fine mid-palate depth, a nice sense of oakiness, zesty acids and lovely balance and grip on the long and complex finish. This is really drinking beautifully out of the blocks! 2022-2035+. -John Gilman, View from the Cellar, 91+
The 2020 Chardonnay Marine comes from Loubejac vineyard and was picked on September 21, after the smoke from the wildfires cleared. It was fermented and matured in oak for 11 months and is the last iteration of Marine from the Loubejac vineyard for winemaker Seth Morgen Long, who says the vineyard is just too far away to visit as frequently as he would like. It opens with scents of matchstick over apple pie, honey and allspice. The medium-bodied palate has a creamy texture, tangy acidity and mineral-driven flavors. It's a great effort in a very challenging vintage. Drink it over the next few years. Only 92 cases were made. -Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, 93
2019
2019 Morgen Long Willamette Valley Chardonnay
Jeb Dunnuck 93
World of Fine Wine 95, 94, 94
View from the Cellar 93
Wine Advocate 94
The 2019 Chardonnay Willamette Valley is lifted with fresh flinty reduction, lime zest, and white flowers. The palate is medium-bodied, with notes of sour green apple, lime, and chalky earth. It is full of tension and has great concentration. Drink 2022-2030. -Audrey Frick, Jeb Dunnuck, 93
Bright, pale silver-gold in color. Sweet, fresh, graceful, and restrained: taut, lemony fruits; some creamy lees; planty, almost algae-like sappiness behind, too. A convincing and very finely crafted aromatic profile. Plunging depth of fruit here and rather sheer at this stage. On the palate, the wine is less giving than it is aromatically just now. But there is a lot here and a sense of grand refinement to come. Very Côte de Beaune-like (St-Aubin) in its purity and conviction. My score is with an eye to the future, but this certainly seems serious, convincing, pace-setting Oregon white wine. -Andrew Jefford, World of Fine Wine, 95
A pale greeny gold, this shows an instant touch of class in its freshness and complexity of aroma. It follows through in the glass, where, with a tingle on the tongue, the flavors are full, ripe, and intense. Plenty of fruit purity and concentration are framed by a deft touch of nutty oak and balancing acidity in a way that’s not showy but deeply satisfying and hugely enjoyable to drink. -Anthony Rose, World of Fine Wine, 94
Arresting concentration and balance. So harmonious and silky: pillow-soft but detailed, too. Finely stitched with quince and sweet pear, cream, freshly baked bread, and wonderful, fine-point acidity. A lingering finish. Pure pleasure. -David Williams, World of Fine Wine, 94
The 2019 regular bottling of Willamette Valley chardonnay from Seth Long is once again composed from a blend of fruit from six different vineyards, all of them dry-farmed, with forty percent of the blend this year from Seven Springs Vineyard, twenty-five percent from X-Omni Vineyard and nineteen percent from Durant Vineyard. This year the wine ended up being raised in twenty percent new oak. The wine is beautifully expressive on the nose, offering up scents of pear, almond, a complex base of salty soil tones, apple blossoms, a hint of iodine and a suave foundation of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, crisp and beautifully balanced, with a lovely core, superb soil signature, zesty acids and a long, focused and complex finish. This is a touch more refined in personality than the very good 2018 version and is a lovely bottle of chardonnay. It is still a fairly young wine, but decanting it opens it up nicely and it is hardly a crime to be drinking it now! 2021-2045. -John Gilman, View from the Cellar, 93
The 2019 Chardonnay Willamette Valley is scented of matchstick and roasted almonds with nuances of beeswax and a core of perfumed quince. The medium-bodied palate is mineral-focused at this stage, although it offers an alluringly creamy texture and notable concentration. It will benefit from a few more years in bottle. -Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, 94
2019 Morgen Long X Omni Vineyard Chardonnay
View from the Cellar 95+
Wine Advocate 96
The X-Omni Vineyard is densely planted with fifteen different clones of chardonnay. The grapes for this bottling were picked on October 1st and 7th in 2019, with the wine starting out fermentation in stainless steel and being racked into cask to finish. The wine ended up being raised in forty-five percent new oak this year and tips the scales at 12.85 percent octane. The bouquet is precise and simply beautiful already, wafting from the glass in a mix of pear, white peach, almond, a complex base of soil tones, lemon blossoms, just a whisper of iodine and a lovely framing of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is vibrant, full-bodied, intensely flavored and very complex, with a beautiful girdle of acidity, superb focus and grip and a long, zesty and very, very classy finish. This is young and a bit reductive out of the blocks, so I would definitely tuck it away in the cellar and let it blossom. This is a great new addition to Seth Long’s lineup of single-vineyard bottlings! 2024-2050. -John Gilman, View from the Cellar, 95+
The 2019 Chardonnay X Omni Vineyard has savory tones of dried mushrooms, almonds and matchstick to begin before opening to touches of floral perfume. The light-bodied palate is linear and tangy with expansive, gently honeyed fruit that glides into a long finish. It feels coiled and will benefit from more bottle time. -Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, 96
2019 Morgen Long Seven Springs Vineyard Chardonnay
Jeb Dunnuck 95
Decanter 96
View from the Cellar 95
Wine Advocate 94
International Wine Report 97
The 2019 Chardonnay Seven Springs is lifted and has more intensity of aromas with fresh peach, more lime zest, white flowers, and savory herbs. The palate is refreshing and layered, with light baking spice and layers of minerals. I love this wine for its elegance and balance. It is a killer Chardonnay with incredible tension and nerve. Drink 2024-2034. -Audrey Frick, Jeb Dunnuck, 95
An incredibly complex, smoky mineral nose with hazelnut, butter, lemon peel and wood smoke. The wine is intensely concentrated and powerful, but not overwhelming. All of the tension is kept in reserve and the wine plays out slowly across the palate in a seemingly endless finish. 'I'm making Willamette Valley wines like Quentin Tarantino makes certain scenes as an hommage,' says Seth Morgen Long. The object of this hommage is conspicuous: 'Copy and paste Meursault into Willamette Valley,' Long explains. -Charles Curtis MW, Decanter, 96
The 2019 Seven Springs Vineyard bottling of chardonnay from Seth Long is another superb effort from him in this top flight vintage. This is the youngest and most reductive of Seth’s 2019s and demands decanting time, if one is inclined to drink it early on. However, with thirty minutes in decanter, it does start to budge a bit and eventually delivers a nose of pear, apple, iodine, a very pretty base of soil, hints of almond, white flowers and a deft touch of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied and tightly-knit, with an excellent core and mineral drive, vibrant acids and excellent focus and grip on the long, primary and promising finish. Today, the wine is most impressive on the backend, where it has enormous lift and energy. Once this wine blossoms, it is going to be stellar, but it will need some cellaring to open up properly. 2026-2050. -John Gilman, View from the Cellar, 95
The 2019 Chardonnay Seven Springs Vineyard is youthfully shy on the nose with hints of matchstick, beeswax and cashew. The light-bodied palate is silky, bright and linear with mineral-driven fruit and savory undertones that suggest this has more unwinding to do in bottle. Only 200 half-cases were made. -Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, 94
2019 Morgen Long The Eyrie Vineyards Chardonnay
View from the Cellar 96
Wine Advocate 96
This is Seth Long’s oldest vine bottling, as this block of ungrafted chardonnay vines was planted by David Lett in 1968. The grapes were picked on September 28th this year, with the wine coming in at an even thirteen percent. As is customary, it started fermentation in stainless, was racked to a once-filled French cask to finish fermentation and age on its fine lees for one year. This was followed by six months of finishing elevage in tank prior to bottling. The bouquet is pure and youthful, with a gently reductive personality eventually revealing scents of lemon, pear, a complex base of salty soil tones, citrus zest, fresh almond, a dollop of iodine, fruit blossoms and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and still quite primary in personality, with great depth at the core, superb soil inflection, zesty acids and a long, vibrant and extremely promising finish. This is still a puppy and needs bottle age to allow its secondary layers to emerge, but it will be flat out brilliant once it is truly ready to drink! 2026-2055. -John Gilman, View from the Cellar, 96
The 2019 Chardonnay The Eyrie Vineyards has singular aromas of dried herbs and lilac, hazelnuts, beeswax and umami-like undertones that, despite not being focused on fruit, gain in intensity and detail as the wine airs in the glass. The medium-bodied palate is satiny and dynamic, its initially mineral-driven fruit segueing slowly to creamy fruit and nutty nuances that linger on the extended finish. Just 50 half-cases were made. -Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, 96
2019 Morgen Long Eola Amity Hills Chardonnay
View from the Cellar 92
Wine Advocate 94
The 2019 Eola-Amity Hills bottling is from younger vines, with the cépages a fifty-fifty blend from the X-Omni and Seven Springs Vineyards. The wine ended up at thirteen percent octane and was raised in fifteen percent new oak. It offers up a very lovely aromatic constellation of apple, pear, flinty minerality, a youthful touch of iodine, discreet notes of hazelnut, lemon zest, a whisper of vanillin oak and a floral topnote reminiscent of Meursault geranium. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and complex, with good, but not great depth at the core, bright acids, lovely focus and a long, youthfully complex finish. The younger vines here can be sensed just a touch in the mid-palate today, but I have the sense that this is the kind of wine that will put on weight with bottle age. The aromatic and flavor complexity are just lovely already. 2021-2045. -John Gilman, View from the Cellar, 92
The 2019 Chardonnay Eola-Amity Hills takes some time to segue from matchstick to apple, pastry and chamomile aromas. The light-bodied palate combines graphite-like mineral tones with notably concentrated fruit and expansive, savory undertones, and it has a long, perfumed finish. Give it a few more years in the bottle or a few hours in the decanter. -Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, 94
2019 Morgen Long Dundee Hills Chardonnay
View from the Cellar 94
Wine Advocate 95
The Dundee Hills bottling from Seth Long is made from a blend of ninety percent Durant Vineyard fruit (twenty-one year-old vines) and ten percent Eyrie Vineyard fruit (fifty year-old vines). The wine was given one year in cask and then racked to stainless steel tanks for another winter of elevage, with the wine settling in at 12.8 percent octane in this vintage. The bouquet wafts from the glass in a nascently complex blend of apple, a hint of tangerine, hazelnuts, a beautifully vibrant base of soil tones, a hint of iodine, honeysuckle and a nice touch of buttery oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, focused and very precise, with a lovely core, stellar mineral undertow, zesty acids and marvelous backend structural tension on the long and nascently complex finish. While it can be very easily (all too easily!) drunk now, this wine has more layers of complexity to unfurl if given some time in the cellar, so I would try to keep away from it for three to five years and really let the fireworks come to the fore! Supremely elegant juice. 2024-2050. -John Gilman, View from the Cellar, 94
The 2019 Chardonnay Dundee Hills is scented of matchstick, mushroom powder, golden apple and beeswax. The light-bodied palate is delicate and focused with saline-driven fruit and an expansive, savory finish. -Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, 95
2019 Morgen Long Chardonnay Marine
View from the Cellar 92+
Wine Advocate 93
The 2019 Marine bottling of Chardonnay from Seth Long is composed from a slightly different blend of vineyard sources compared to the 2018, as this year it is only produced from two of the three vineyards that contributed fruit last year. The composition this year is sixty percent grapes from the Loubejac Vineyard and forty percent from the Yamhill Vineyard. Fermentation for both lots started in stainless steel and was finished in barrel. As is customary
with Seth’s chardonnays, the wines spent one year in cask and then were assembled in tank for six more months of finishing elevage. The wine ended up seeing fifteen percent new oak and comes in at 13.2 percent alcohol in 2019. The nose jumps from the glass in a mix of apple, pear, almond blossoms, a touch of lime peel, a lovely base of soil, hazelnut and a faint touch of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is elegant, full-bodied, complex and beautifully balanced, with fine depth at the core, superb transparency and bounce, zesty acids and a long, nascently complex and vibrant finish. The wine is still a touch youthfully shut down on the backend, but it is delicious already if given a bit of aeration; it will be even better with some bottle age. 2021-2045. -John Gilman, View from the Cellar, 92+
The 2019 Chardonnay Marine (from marine soils) has pretty scents of roasted almonds, saline and lime with undertones of spring honey and citrus blossom. Silky and pure, the palate is linear with saline-and-citrus character, and it has a long, delicate finish. 270 cases were made. -Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, 93
2019 Morgen Long Pink Label Chardonnay
View from the Cellar 92+
Wine Advocate 92
The Pink Label bottling of chardonnay from Seth Long takes its name from the unusual inclusion of a small percentage of red grapes in the cépages of this wine. In 2019, this wine is ninety-five percent chardonnay (vineyard sources: fifty percent X-Omni, thirty-five percent Durant, ten percent Loubejac), which was racked onto five percent of lees of pinot noir and gamay from the Seven Springs Vineyard at the end of 2020 for two months of contact, which
gives the wine its gentle pink color. The wine comes in at 12.8 percent alcohol this year and offers up a beautiful nose of apple, gentle notes of blood orange, a hint of rhubarb, salty soil tones, dried roses, citrus peel, a touch of oak and citrus blossoms in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, focused and complex, with a lovely core, fine soil undertow, bright acids and a long, complex and promising finish. This wine will age beautifully, and
though it is already quite tasty out of the blocks, it deserves just a bit of cellaring to let its secondary layers of complexity unfold. It is a superb wine! 2022-2045. -John Gilman, View from the Cellar, 92+
The 2019 Chardonnay Pink Label has a pale salmon-pink color and intriguing perfume of potpourri, desiccated rose petals, citrus cream and red berries—pure, precise and very pretty. The medium-bodied palate is bright, juicy and textural and finishes with great length and energy. This rosé is dangerously easy to drink, without being simplistic. -Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, 92
NV Morgen Long Memorie II Chardonnay Solera
View from the Cellar 94
This is the second release of the “Memorie” bottling of chardonnay from Seth Long. The wine is produced from a solera that Seth started with in the 2015 vintage (with just a whisper of 2014 juice added at the outset), so it is a multi-vintage blend that will get more complex with each passing year. The fruit comes from seven different vineyards and the blend is now composed of six different vintages, so it is progressing geometrically at this point. The breakdown of vintages in the blend this year runs thus: twenty-one percent 2019, twenty-two percent 2018, twenty-three percent 2017, ten percent 2016, twenty-three percent 2015 and a whisper of 2014 juice. The wine offers up a beautiful nose, wafting from the glass in a blend of apple, lemon, hazelnut, a complex base of soil elements, honeysuckle, citrus zest and a hint of oak. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied, focused and complex, with a lovely core, fine soil undertow, zesty acids and a long, poised and beautifully balanced finish. I love the backend
lift here! Unlike several of the youthful 2019s from Seth this year, the Memorie II is drinking just splendidly right from the outset and will require no patience before it is savored. However, it has an excellent spine of acidity and will have no difficulties also aging gracefully in bottle! Stunning juice. 2021-2040+. -John Gilman, View from the Cellar, 94
2018
2018 Morgen Long Willamette Valley Chardonnay
Vinous 92
Decanter 93
View from the Cellar 92+
Wine Advocate 91
Pale straw-gold. Fresh peach and pear aromas are brightened by suggestions of citrus pith and smoky minerals. Nicely concentrated yet lively in the mouth, offering sappy, spice-tinged Meyer lemon, Anjou pear and nectarine flavors that become firmer through the midpalate. Shows excellent clarity and focus on a penetrating finish that emphatically echoes the spice and floral notes. 25% new oak. -Josh Raynolds, Vinous, 92
This newcomer, a specialist in Willamette Valley Chardonnay, is producing some of the most elegant, nuanced wines in the valley. His entry-level offering in 2018 was among the brightest discoveries of my recent tastings. There are restrained citrus and floral notes upfront and a fresh, lively texture allied with a subtle density on the palate. The wines are fermented on native yeasts in a combination of large and small casks and stainless-steel tanks, then aged for 18 months. Very elegant, sophisticated wine. -Charles Curtis MW, Decanter, 93
The 2018 regular bottling of Willamette Valley chardonnay from Seth Long hails from six different vineyards in this vintage, all of them dry-farmed, with forty percent of the blend from Seven Springs Vineyard and twenty percent from Durant Vineyard. Part of the blend was barrel-fermented and part in stainless steel, with the elevage done in twenty-five percent new oak and the wine coming in at 13.3 percent octane. It offers up a very stylish, youthful nose of pear, hazelnut, a refined base of soil tones, white flowers and a touch of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and rock solid at the core, with bright, zesty acids, excellent focus and grip, fine, nascent complexity and very impressive backend lift and mineral drive on the long finish. Structurally, this wine is already approachable, but it is still quite primary in terms of flavor and aromatic development and there is much more here to unfold with some bottle age. Fine juice. 2020-2040. -John Gilman, View from the Cellar, 92+
The 2018 Chardonnay Willamette Valley is delicately styled, with hints of salted almonds, flint, white flowers and fresh quince. The palate is bright, fresh and mineral-driven with a satiny texture and ethereal finish that offers notions of honey as it gets some time in the glass. This deserves another year or two in the cellar or a long decant. -Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, 91
2018 Morgen Long The Eyrie Vineyards Chardonnay
Vinous 95
View from the Cellar 95
Wine Advocate 93
Brilliant straw-yellow. Intensely perfumed aromas of pear nectar, white peach, tangerine, yellow rose and saffron show fine definition and mineral lift. Vibrant, mineral-laced citrus and orchard fruit and honeydew melon flavors deftly blend depth and vivacity, braced by a core of juicy acidity. In a distinctly elegant style, finishing extremely long and precise, with repeating florality and resonating minerality. All one-year-old barriques. -Josh Raynolds, Vinous, 95
A few vintages ago, Jason Lett began selling the production from a small parcel of own rooted vines in the old Eyrie Vineyard to Seth Long, with these vines having been planted back in 1968 on Jory soils over a base of volcanic basalt. There is only a single cask and it is a “one wine” barrel for the elevage. The 2018 Eyrie Vineyard bottling comes in this year at 13.44 percent octane and delivers a superb aromatic constellation of apple, pear, almond, a very complex base of soil tones, lemon blossoms and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is pure, full bodied and rock solid at the core, with stellar transparency and grip, a fine girdle of acidity, laser-like focus and a very, very long, nascently complex finish. I sold David Lett’s chardonnays back in the mid-1980s and this takes me back to those times briskly, though the precision here is a step up from those days. This is a brilliant bottle of chardonnay in the making and totally worth the price of admission! 2023-2045+. -John Gilman, View from the Cellar, 95
The 2018 Chardonnay The Eyrie Vineyards offers soft notes of floral perfume, flint, roasted almonds and soft white peach fruit at the core. The palate is powerful, broad, satiny and packed with savory, mineral-laced flavors, with integrated tanginess and a very long finish. Lovely! Give this another couple years in bottle. -Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, 93
2018 Morgen Long Seven Springs Vineyard Chardonnay
Jeb Dunnuck 95
View from the Cellar 93+
Wine Advocate 91
The 2018 Chardonnay Seven Springs is fresh with chive, lime blossoms, white flowers, and chalky minerality. The palate is full of tension and has great concentration, with a crystalline texture, notes of fresh pear and lemon curd, and a long finish. Drink 2022-2032. -Audrey Frick, Jeb Dunnuck, 95
The 2018 Seven Springs Vineyard chardonnay from Seth Long is another excellent bottle from this biodynamically-farmed vineyard. This year twenty percent of the blend was raised in new, three hundred and fifty liter puncheons, twenty percent in “one wine” Burgundy casks and the rest in older barrels for the first year of elevage. The wine was then assembled and spent another six months in stainless steel tanks prior to bottling. The 2018 version is quite superb on both the nose and palate, with the bouquet wafting from the glass in a mix of pear, apple, a touch of iodine, macadamia nuts, a fine signature of soil, fruit blossoms and a discreet foundation of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied, focused and intensely flavored, with an excellent core, a fine girdle of acidity and superb balance and grip on the long, energetic and complex finish. This is simply outstanding juice. 2020-2040. -John Gilman, View from the Cellar, 93+
The 2018 Chardonnay Seven Springs Vineyard opens slowly to jasmine, quince, saline and almond notes on the nose. The light-bodied palate is bright, tangy and fresh, with an uplifted, mineral-driven finish. -Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, 91
2018 Morgen Long Durant Vineyard Chardonnay
Vinous 94
View from the Cellar 92
Wine Advocate 94
Light, shimmering yellow. Intense, mineral- and lees-accented citrus and orchard fruit scents show excellent clarity and hints of honeysuckle and white flowers. Displays strong tension on the palate, offering juicy, smoke accented pear and Meyer lemon flavors that show fine definition and mineral lift. The mineral quality carries strongly through the long, penetrating finish, which leaves behind repeating citrus fruit and floral notes. 22% new oak. -Josh Raynolds, Vinous, 94
Seth Long’s 2018 Durant bottling of chardonnay is the first I have tasted from him from this fine vineyard. The wine was raised in twenty-two percent new oak this year, but the new barrels were three hundred and fifty liter puncheons, with the Burgundy barrels used for the rest of the elevage all older casks. It spent its second winter in stainless steel tanks after assemblage. This is one of the riper wines from Seth in 2018, coming in at 13.66 percent octane, but Dundee Hills is a warmer region. The wine is very expressive on the nose, delivering scents of white peach, pear, hazelnut, iodine, a fine base of soil, a touch of pastry cream and a reserved framing of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is bright, full-bodied and generous on the attack, with a rock solid core, good mineral drive and grip, fine acidity and a long, complex and classy finish. I like to think of this as Seth’s version of Meursault “Charmes”. 2020-2030+. -John Gilman, View from the Cellar, 92
The 2018 Chardonnay Durant Vineyard, the first iteration of this site from Morgen Long, has a lovely perfume of matcha powder, dried flowers, salted almonds and an exotic touch of candied citrus. The palate is arresting—its satiny texture and broad, savory flavors are pleasantly surprising and seamlessly fresh—and it finishes very, very long. More evidence that Durant vineyard is a very special site!-Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, 94
2018 Morgen Long Chardonnay Volcanic
Vinous 92
View from the Cellar 92
Wine Advocate 92+
Glistening straw-yellow. Mineral-accented citrus and orchard fruits on the nose, along with building floral and iodine nuances. Sappy, palate-staining Anjou pear and Meyer lemon flavors are complemented by a smoky lees note and lifted by zesty minerality. Finishes with sharp clarity and excellent persistence, leaving lingering mineral, saffron and citrus pith notes behind. -Josh Raynolds, Vinous, 92
The Volcanic bottling of chardonnay from Morgen Long is composed of a blend of two vineyards this year, with sixty percent hailing from the Seven Springs Vineyard (chard vines planted in 2012) and forty percent from the Durant Vineyard (vines planted in 1998). Both parcels are planted with Dijon clones. The wine was fermented in a mix of puncheons, Burgundy barrels and stainless steel and raised in ten percent new oak puncheons, forty percent one wine barrels and the remaining fifty percent in older casks for one year, prior to blending and a finishing winter in stainless steel. The wine comes in at 13.1 percent and offers up a complex aromatic constellation of pear, apple, almond, a good base of soil, apple blossoms and a touch of new oak. On the palate the wine is deep, young and full-bodied, with a tightly-knit personality, fine cut and grip and a long, promising finish. This has a bit more mid-palate stuffing and length than the Marine chardonnay this year, but it is a more reserved customer out of the blocks and deserves some time in the cellar to properly stretch its wings. 2022-2040. -John Gilman, View from the Cellar, 92
The 2018 Chardonnay Volcanic is the first iteration of this cuvée. The nose offers an alluring perfume of quince, white flowers, beeswax and salted almonds, while the light-bodied palate is satiny and mineral-driven, with tangy acidity and a long, uplifted finish. Give it another couple years in bottle. -Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, 92+
2018 Morgen Long Chardonnay Marine
Vinous 91
View from the Cellar 91
Wine Advocate 92+
Bright, green-tinged straw. As its name implies, this wine is sourced from a vineyard planted on marine sedimentary soils. Whole-cluster-pressed; raised in a combination of new and used oak barrels and stainless steel tank. -Josh Raynolds, Vinous, 91
The 2018 Marine bottling of Willamette Valley chardonnay from Seth Long is a blend of fruit from three different vineyards, all of which share marine soil, as the name implies. The blend this year is forty-three percent from the Loubejac Vineyard, forty percent from the AlexEli Vineyard and seventeen percent from the Yamhill Vineyard. The Loubejac vines are still fairly youthful, having been planted in 2007, but the other two vineyards are more than thirty-four years of age. The wine was aged in a combination of Burgundy casks, three hundred and fifty liter puncheons and stainless steel, with only fifteen percent of the oak new. After assemblage, the wine was given several months to synthesize in stainless steel tanks prior to bottling. The bouquet here is very pretty, offering up a combination of apple, pear, lovely spice tones, a superb base of salty minerality, a touch of buttery oak and just a whisper of citrus blossoms in the upper register. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, focused and has excellent mid-palate depth, with bright acids, fine focus and grip and a long, complex and very well-balanced finish. This is one of Seth’s entry level wines, priced at $25 per bottle and it is an outstanding value! 2020-2030+.-John Gilman, View from the Cellar, 91
A new wine from Morgen Long, the 2018 Chardonnay Marine has a gentle perfume of white blossoms, matcha and almonds with an undercurrent of saline. The palate is satiny and pleasantly tangy, fanning out to nutty fruits and finishing very long with delicate mineral notions. This deserves another year or two in bottle. -Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, 92+
2018 Morgen Long Pink Label Chardonnay
Vinous 91
View from the Cellar 92+
Wine Advocate 92
Extremely pale, glistening onion skin. Pear skin, white peach, honey, fennel, orange zest and pungent flowers on the perfumed nose. Silky, focused and nicely concentrated, offering mineral-accented citrus and orchard fruit flavors that become spicier with air. Finishes with firm grip and strong, mineral-driven persistence, leaving a subtly bitter herbal note behind. The 5% Pinot Noir component of this fascinating wine comes inthe form of juice and lees from the Maresh vineyard. Raised in a single, neutral, 300-liter French oak barrel. -Josh Raynolds, Vinous, 91
As I mentioned last year, the Pink Label bottling of chardonnay from Seth Long takes its name from the unusual inclusion of a small percentage of pinot noir in the cépages of this wine. The cépages of the 2018 is a bit different from the 2017 version, as this year five percent of the blend is pinot noir from the Maresh Vineyard (both wine and less this year)and the other ninety five percent is chardonnay from the Seven Springs Vineyard. The 2017 version did not show any overt color from this tiny pinot noir inclusion, but the 2018, with its higher percentage of pinot noir, is a delicate Rosé. The wine offers up a lovely and complex nose of tangerine, pear, a hint of rhubarb, salty soil tones, a discreet touch of fruit blossoms and a very delicate framing of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is bright, deep and full-bodied, with a fine core of fruit, excellent mineral drive and grip, zesty acids and superb focus on the long, complex and very well-balanced finish. The influence of the pinot noir here is far more evident on the nose than on the palate, which tastes like a first class bottle of chardonnay and the wine is an excellent value at $25 per bottle. It will be fascinating to follow how this wine evolves with cellaring. 2020-2040. -John Gilman, View from the Cellar, 92+
The 2018 Chardonnay Pink Label was made with Seven Springs fruit, plus 5% fruit from the Maresh vineyard. It includes a 5% addition of Pinot Noir and Pinot Noir lees, which gives this Chardonnay some oomph. The nose offers almonds, saline and soft honeyed hints, while the palate offers a fan of gunflint-laced fruits, broad but juicy and finishing long and minerally. Lovely! -Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, 92
NV Morgen Long Memorie I Chardonnay Solera
View from the Cellar 93
This is the first release of Memoire chardonnay from Seth Long. The wine is composed from a solera that Seth started with in the 2015 vintage, so this first release is a blend of twenty nine percent each of 2018 and 2017, twelve percent of 2016, twenty-nine percent of 2015 and around one percent of 2014. It includes at least a little bit in the blend of every single chardonnay Seth has produced since he began in 2014, with the small amount of 2014 due to the fact that bottled wines were used to top up the barrel of the 2015s at the start, once the topping up wine from 2015 had been exhausted. The bouquet is bright and fascinatingly complex, offering up a lovely panoply of apple, pear, passion fruit, buttered almonds, acacia blossoms, plenty of soil tones and a gentle foundation of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and very complex, with a superb core, bright acids, fine focus and grip and a long, poised and very energetic and lifted finish. This is a lovely and quite unique bottle of chardonnay. 2020-2035. -John Gilman, View from the Cellar, 93
2017
2017 Morgen Long Willamette Valley Chardonnay
View from the Cellar 92
Wine Advocate 91
The regular bottling of Willamette Valley chardonnay from Seth Long in 2017 is composed of fruit from a hillside parcel in the Yamhill Vineyard that is planted on a Wente Clone that originated from Corton-Charlemagne. The fruit is picked at night and fermented with natural yeasts; the is aged in older barrels, with one-third comprised of "one wine" barrels and the other two-thirds several years older. The 2017 version comes in at thirteen percent octane and offers up a lovely nose of pear, apple, fresh almond, a fine base of soil tones and a topnote of white lilies. On the palate the wine is crisp, full-bodied and very precise, with a fine core, excellent transparency and cut, a nice hint of reductive elements and a long, complex and classy finish. Seth worked a stage with Etienne de Montille during his time in Burgundy, but it might as well have been with Jean-Marc Roulot in Meursault, given the style and class of this wine! 2019-2035+. -John Gilman, View from the Cellar, 92
The 2017 Chardonnay Willamette Valley aged 12 months in 25% new oak and five months in stainless steel. The nose opens with fresh pear and apple fruit accented by notes of pastry crust, white peaches and toast. It's light to medium-bodied with slowly unfolding fruits, and it's super tangy, energetic and minerally, finishing long. This is super tight and could use more time in bottle to unwind. 304 cases and 36 magnums produced. -Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, 91
2017 Morgen Long The Eyrie Vineyards Chardonnay
View from the Cellar 94
Wine Advocate 94
As I mentioned last February, Jason Lett has started selling the production from a small parcel of vines in the old Eyrie Vineyard to Seth Long, with these vines having been planted back in 1968 on a base of volcanic soils. There is only a single cask and it is a "one wine" barrel for the elevage. The 2017 Eyrie Vineyard bottling is a superb follow-up to the stellar 2016 version, offering up a more open and less reductive nose than the 2016, wafting from the glass in a beautiful blend of golden delicious apple, pear, hazelnut, a fine base of soil tones, a hint of orange blossoms, a wisp of iodine and lovely bass notes of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied, focused and delivers superb mid-palate depth, with outstanding focus and grip, bright, zesty acids and great breed and nascent complexity on the very, very long and classy finish. This is dynamite chardonnay! 2019-2045. -John Gilman, View from the Cellar, 94
The 2017 Chardonnay The Eyrie Vineyards aged 12 months in one once-filled barrel and an additional five months in stainless steel. It has a very savory nose of apple pie, honeycomb, orange blossom and crushed almonds with notes of crushed shell in the undercurrent. Medium-bodied, it floods the mouth with savory flavor layers, broadening in the mouth before its tangy acidity reins things back in and focuses the long, energetic, mineral-driven finish. This is a gorgeous expression and lovely dichotomy of savory and zing. Only 51 six-packs and 12 magnums were made. -Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, 94
2017 Morgen Long Seven Springs Vineyard Chardonnay
Vinous 95
View from the Cellar 93+
Wine Advocate 92
Light, bright yellow. An expansive, complex bouquet evokes fresh citrus and orchard fruits, oyster shell, vanilla and white flowers, and a hint of fennel emerges with air. Sappy, penetrating and lively on the palate, offering nervy Meyer lemon, pear, ginger and toasted brioche flavors that deepen and spread out slowly on the back half. Powerful and well concentrated yet lithe, finishing with superb energy and lingering floral and mineral flourishes. -Josh Raynolds, Vinous, 95
This is the first bottling of chardonnay from Seth Long that I have tasted that originates with fruit from the biodynamically-farmed Seven Springs Vineyard. The wine was barrel-fermented primarily with indigenous yeasts (one or two casks needed a booster from a neutral commercial yeast to finish up) and then aged in one-third new oak casks (one out of three barrels). It spent one year in oak and then six months finishing in stainless steel prior to bottling. The wine offers up beautiful aromatic refinement in its constellation of pear, white peach, a hint of hazelnut, spring flowers, a lovely base of soil tones and a discreet framing of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, focused and complex, with a lovely core, a zesty girdle of acidity and impressive length and grip on the very well-balanced finish. These too are young vines (only planted in 2012), but they show no signs of young viney dilution and the wine is rock solid and extremely impressive in 2017. Welcome to the party! 2019-2040+. -John Gilman, View from the Cellar, 93+
The 2017 Chardonnay Seven Springs Vineyard aged 12 months in 33% new oak and five months in stainless steel. It has a nose of white peaches, jasmine, toast and almonds with a gentle spicy frame. Light to medium-bodied, it walks a pretty line between savory and minerally, finishing long and energetic with tangy acidity. The Morgen Long Chardonnays are lovely for their dichotomy of honey and tang, plushness and energy. 133 six-packs and 36 magnums were made. -Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, 92
2017 Morgen Long Loubejac Chardonnay
View from the Cellar 92
Wine Advocate 93
As I mentioned in my last report on American wines in February, Seth Long's chardonnay bottling from the Loubejac Vineyard is one of his youngest vine cuvées, as these vines are only nine years of age in 2017. As it is younger vine fruit, it is aged in used barrels for one year, prior to racking into stainless steel tanks for an additional three months of elevage. The 2017 Loubejac is very stylish, wafting from the glass in a nascently complex blend of apple, pear, fresh almond, lovely soil tones, spring flowers and a whisper of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is crisp, full-bodied, focused and very nicely balanced, with zesty acids, a lovely core and impressive backend energy and grip on the long and classy finish. This is first class chardonnay and even more impressive in that it hails from young vines! 2019-2030+. -John Gilman, View from the Cellar, 92
The 2017 Chardonnay Loubejac Vineyard, made without new oak, begins with bright saline and crushed shell notes, fleshing out to baked apples, pie crust, dried hay, honey and hazelnuts. Light to medium-bodied, it's broad and savory in the mouth with honeyed fruits and tangy acidity that brings the wine back around to a long, saline-driven finish. This deserves another couple of years in bottle but is perfectly drinkable now. 93 six-packs and 30 magnums were made. -Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, 93
2017 Morgen Long Chardonnay “Sandi“
Vinous 94
View from the Cellar 93+
Wine Advocate 92
Translucent yellow. Highly perfumed citrus and orchard fruit aromas show excellent clarity and take on tarragon, honey and vanilla nuances with air. Concentrated yet lithe on the palate, offering intense, finely detailed pear, Meyer lemon and honeysuckle flavors underscored by a smoky mineral nuance. Finishes very long and silky, with building spiciness and resonating pear and floral notes. -Josh Raynolds, Vinous, 94
The Morgen Long "Sandi" bottling of chardonnay is named after Seth's mother, who passed away in 2016. It is a blend of sixty percent Loubejac fruit, thirty percent Yamhill and ten percent Eyrie, and this is Seth's only 2017 chardonnay bottling that saw more than a dollop of new oak, as this was raised in forty-five percent new casks. The wine comes in at an even thirteen percent octane and was bottled unfined and unfiltered. It delivers marvelous aromatic sophistication in its blend of pear, white peach, almond, salty soil tones, dried flowers and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full and very elegant in profile, with a superb core of fruit, lovely soil signature, bright acids and a long, complex and gently new oaky finish. This is really a delicious bottle of chardonnay that will age long and gracefully, but is a tad less tightly-knit out of the blocks than the 2016 version was in its youth and it is going to make it that much harder to keep one's hands off of the 2017 Sandi and let it blossom with extended cellaring! 2019-2045. -John Gilman, View from the Cellar, 93+
The 2017 Chardonnay Sandi aged 12 months in 55% new oak and five months in stainless steel. It has a nose of poached pears, red apples, fresh almonds and white blossoms with notes of honey, toast and petrichor. Light to medium-bodied, it has a core of nuanced fruits with tangy opposing acidity and a long, mineral-driven finish. This will benefit from another year or two in bottle. 92 six-packs and 30 magnums were made. -Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, 92
2017 Morgen Long White Label Chardonnay
View from the Cellar 93
Wine Advocate 92
The White Label bottling from Seth Long hails entirely from Seven Springs Vineyard fruit and was farmed biodynamically. This cuvée sees more lees aging, as some of the gross lees are included when the wine is decanted into cask for fermentation, and weekly battonage was practiced up through the completion of malo. The White Label also sees more new oak than most of Seth's chardonnays, being raised in forty-four percent new wood for one year, before being racked to stainless steel for another six months, with the fine lees again included for this portion of its elevage. The wine is a bit more reductive than the other Willamette Valley bottlings out of the blocks, but also very precise and racy (and not what I expected from additional battonage), wafting from the glass in a blend of pear, lemon, apple, white hilies, lovely soil tones, almond and vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is precise, focused and still quite tightly-knit, with a full-bodied and well-balanced format, a fine core and excellent cut and grip on the very long and promising finish. This is still a tad reductive on the palate (in a good, Roulot-like way) and built for the long haul, so I would not broach a bottle for at least the next two or three years and really let it start to stir. Of all the Willamette Valley bottlings from Seth Long this year, this is my favorite! 2022-2045+. -John Gilman, View from the Cellar, 93
The 2017 Chardonnay White Label comes from a single block of Dijon 76 clone vines in the Seven Springs Vineyard. It was aged 12 months in 44% new oak and an additional five months in stainless steel. It opens with inviting scents of tangerine and lime peel, crushed shell, raw almonds and fresh orchard fruits with honeyed touches. Medium-bodied, it offers spice-laced fruits with zingy touches of citrus and tangy acidity, finishing long and energetic. It will benefit from another year or two in bottle, although it's drinking beautifully now. 89 six-packs and 30 magnums were made. -Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, 92
2017 Morgen Long Black Label Chardonnay
View from the Cellar 91
Wine Advocate 92
The Black Label bottling of Willamette Valley chardonnay from Seth Long is from different vineyard sources than the above, with twenty-five percent of the fruit hailing each from Seven Springs Vineyard, Durant Vineyard, Yamhill Vineyard and AlexEli Vineyard. The wine also sees ten percent new wood during its elevage, in contrast to the entirely used casks for the above. The 2017 Black Label offers up a lovely aromatic constellation of pear, apple, a touch of crème patissiere, good soil tones, a touch of almond and a delicate framing of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and quite generous out of the blocks, with a good core of fruit, bright acids and lovely balance and focus on the long and classy finish. The above wine seems to have just a touch more stuffing at the core and is likely to age a bit longer as well, but the Black Label is probably the better wine for drinking over the first couple of years the wines are out in the market. Good juice. 2019-2030. -John Gilman, View from the Cellar, 91
The 2017 Chardonnay Black Label aged six months in 10% new oak and another 11 months in stainless steel. It's scented of Golden Delicious apples, chamomile, hazelnut and crushed stone with toasty and honeyed touches. Light to medium-bodied, it offers concentrated, savory fruits supported by a minerally frame, finishing long and energetic. 172 cases and 36 magnums produced. -Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, 92
2017 Morgen Long Pink Label Chardonnay
View from the Cellar 92
Wine Advocate 92
The Pink Label bottling takes its name from the unusual inclusion of one percent pinot noir in the cépages of this wine, all as lees, rather than juice. The wine does not show any overt color from this tiny inclusion, but it is a very interesting tangent. The remainder of the blend draws upon a variety of top chardonnay vineyards, with a twenty-five percent of the blend hailing respectively from the Seven Springs, Durant and AlexEli Vineyards, and twenty-four percent from the Yamhill Vineyard. For those keeping score at home, the pinot noir lees came from the Maresh Vineyard. The wine's elevage is also quite novel, with the wines spending six months in barrel, with ten percent new, followed by six months in stainless steel and then back into older, used demi-muids that previously housed pinot noir, and this is where the tiny amount of pinot noir lees were added into the wine. It all works beautifully, as the 2017 Pink Label offers up a very expressive bouquet of apple, pear, a touch of baking spices, fresh almond, lovely soil tones, a hint of crème patissiere and a discreet framing of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, focused and zesty, with a fine core, lovely cut and grip and a long, complex and well-balanced finish. Perhaps the tiny addition of pinot noir lees have added a bit more mid-palate stuffing to the wine? In any event, it is excellent juice. 2019-2040. -John Gilman, View from the Cellar, 92
The 2017 Chardonnay Pink Label aged six months in 10% new oak, six months in stainless steel and six months in larger-format barrels. It has a nose of white peaches, dried hay, hazelnuts and honey with a stony undercurrent. The palate is light to medium-bodied with concentrated flavors and energetic freshness, finishing long and stony. 94 cases and 18 magnums were made. -Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, 92
2016
2016 Morgen Long The Eyrie Vineyards Chardonnay
Vinous 94
View from the Cellar 94
Wine Advocate 92+
Bright straw-yellow. Incisive, mineral- and spice-tinged citrus and orchard fruit qualities on the nose, along with hints of pungent flowers, sea salt and buttered toast. Nicely concentrated but focused and energetic as well, offering sappy Anjou pear, Meyer lemon and white peach flavors and a touch of bitter quinine. Turns firmer on the sharply defined finish, which repeats the citrus and mineral notes and leaves a hint of honeysuckle behind. -Josh Raynolds, Vinous, 94
Jason Lett has just started selling the production from a small parcel of vines in the old Eyrie Vineyard to Seth Morgen Long, with these vines having been planted back in 1968 on a base of volcanic soils. Like all of Seth's wines, the wine is fermented with indigenous yeasts, goes through full malo and is bottled after and elevage of fifteen months, with one year in natural barrels and the last three months in stainless steel tanks. There is only a single barrel of this beautiful wine, which was raised in a "one wine" French cask. The wine is a bit reductive out of the blocks and demands decanting to really blossom, but with twenty minutes of air, offers up a stunning nose of golden delicious apple, pear, almond blossoms, a beautifully complex base of soil tones, a touch of iodine and a whisper of vanillin oak from the one year-old cask. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, focused and gorgeously pure and refined, with a rock solid core, stunning mineral drive, bright acids and impeccable focus and grip on the long and very complex finish. This is a stellar bottle that will age long and gracefully. 2019-2035. -John Gilman, View from the Cellar, 94
The 2016 Chardonnay The Eyrie Vineyards opens with some reduction on the nose, with notes of struck match and flint over pure red apples, lemon peel, honey toast and crème fraîche. It's medium to full-bodied and juicy in the mouth with lovely notes of hay, white flowers and stone, finishing long and minerally. -Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, 92+
2016 Morgen Long Yamhill Vineyards Chardonnay
Vinous 93
View from the Cellar 92
Wine Advocate 91
Pale yellow. Fresh honeydew melon, Meyer lemon and pear on the highly perfumed, mineral-accented nose, along with hints of jasmine and chamomile. Juicy and focused on the palate, offering concentrated yet lively orchard and citrus fruit favors and a suggestion of spicy ginger.Shows impressive energy and cut on the mineral-tinged fnish, which features a suave floral quality and a touch of sweet butter. -Josh Raynolds, Vinous, 93
The Yamhill Vineyards bottling of chardonnay from Seth Long is made from a thirty year-old vineyard, that is planted on franc de pied rootstock and is sadly, now struggling against phylloxera and probably losing in the not too distant future. But, for now, good wine is hailing from this vineyard, as the 2016 Morgen Long version delivers a superb bouquet pear, apple, hazelnut, a touch of iodine, beeswax, a complex base of soil and a hint of oak. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and rock solid at the core, with excellent mineral drive, zesty acids and excellent focus and grip on the vibrant finish. This really opens up nicely in decanter and will age long and gracefully. First class juice. 2019-2030+. -John Gilman, View from the Cellar, 92
Fruit for this cuvée comes from the Yamhill Vineyard, which was planted with own-rooted, Wente selection vines in 1984. The 2016 Chardonnay Yamhill Vineyards has a wonderful open nose of honey-drizzled Red Delicious apple slices with fresh baked brioche and pulverized stone. Medium-bodied, it fills the mouth with ripe tree fruits and white flower nuances, with great juicy acidity, finishing long, textured and minerally. -Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, 91
2016 Morgen Long Chardonnay “Sandi“
Vinous 94
View from the Cellar 94
Wine Advocate 92
Vivid straw-yellow. Fresh melon, tangerine and jasmine aromas show superb definition and pick up a minerally nuance with air. Gently chewy and focused on the palate, offering sappy orchard and citrus fruit flavors. A sweet butter note that emerges with air. Shows impressive depth as well as verve and finishes extremely long and floral, leaving a refreshingly bitter lemon pith note behind. -Josh Raynolds, Vinous, 94
Seth Long's "Sandi" bottling of chardonnay is named after his mother, who passed away in 2016. It is a blend of sixty percent Loubejac fruit, thirty percent Yamhill and ten percent Eyrie, and is his only 2016 chardonnay bottling that saw any new oak, as this was raised in forty-five percent new oak. It was bottled unfined and unfiltered and offers up a stunning and very refined bouquet of white peach, apple, acacia blossoms, orange zest, a fine base of soil, a touch of almond and a beautifully discreet base of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied, focused and complex, with a lovely girdle of acidity, fine focus and grip and a long, pure and vibrant finish. This is outstanding. 2019-2030+. -John Gilman, View from the Cellar, 94
The 2016 Chardonnay Sandi opens with lovely toasty notes on the nose over Golden Delicious apples, acacia honey and baby's breath flowers. Medium to full-bodied, it offers great concentration of honeyed apple flavors in the mouth with toast and white flower accents and mouthwatering acidity, finishing long and very minerally. -Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, 92
2016 Morgen Long Loubejac Chardonnay
Vinous 93
View from the Cellar 90+
Wine Advocate 90
Limpid yellow. Mineral-tinged pear, orange and white flowers on the highly perfumed nose. Silky and dry in the mouth, offering juicy citrus and orchard fruit flavors complemented by suggestions of fennel and candied lemon peel. Shows very good depth as well as nerviness and finishes minerally, chewy and very long, with resonating orchard fruit and floral notes.-Josh Raynolds, Vinous, 93
Seth Long's 2016 chardonnay bottling from the Loubejac Vineyard is his youngest vine cuvée, as these vines are only eight years of age, but he has crafted a lovely bottle from them. The wine sees no new oak and after one year in older casks, spends three to four months finishing up in stainless steel prior to bottling. The wine offers up a bright and stylish bouquet of apple, pear, a touch of almond, beeswax and a discreet base of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is crisp, full-bodied, focused and nicely complex, with good backend acid lift, lovely focus and grip and a long, well-balanced finish. 2019-2025. -John Gilman, View from the Cellar, 90+
The 2016 Chardonnay Loubejac has a delicate nose of freshly sliced Red Delicious apples and wet pebbles with notes of white flowers, fresh herbs and hay. Light to medium-bodied with a slightly creamy texture, it gives flavors of tree fruits with earthy hints and juicy acidity, finishing long and minerally with good texture. -Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, 90
2015
2015 Morgen Long Chardonnay “Sandi“
Wine Advocate 92
The 2015 Chardonnay Sandi has a bright, fresh nose of lemon skin, yellow apple and pear with nuances of crushed shell, toasted almond and citrus blossom. Light to medium-bodied, it has good concentration of yellow orchard fruits and citrus in the mouth, with a wicked line of crushed rock minerality and a touch of creaminess to the texture, finishing very long, juicy and refreshing. -Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate, 92
2014
2014 Morgen Long Yamhill Vineyards Chardonnay
Wine Advocate 91
James Suckling 94
The 2014 Chardonnay spent 11 months in barrel with seven months on the lees. I like the precision here, almost Chablis-like with flinty scents merging with the citrus fruit - all tightly coiled. The palate is very well balanced with peach and dried apricot notes, a fine bead of acidity, good tension with a brisk and focused finish. For a debut Chardonnay, it's clear that he has worked alongside people that know how to make great wine and now it is about to benefit Oregon. Look out for this guy. -Neal Martin, Wine Advocate, 91
This is so steely with stones, green apples and lemons. Medium body and clean. So vivid and crisp. -James Suckling, 94
ARTICLES
WineLine “Taking Oregon chardonnay to new heights“ 2/18/25
SevenFiftyDaily “The Science Behind Reductive Aromas in Wine“ 12/4/23
Portland Business Journal 3 Willamette Valley wines notch rare 100-point scores, 10/9/23
Wine Enthusiast “The Near-Death and Resurrection of Willamette Valley Chardonnay“ 4/18/23
Financial Times “The pioneering spirit of Oregon wine is too good to lose“ 4/15/23
The Oregonian “Morgen Long zeroes in on Willamette Valley chardonnay” 5/9/22
Vinepair “Can Multi-Vintage Wines Offset the Unsustainable Aspects of Vintage-Driven Production?“ 4/29/22
Wine-Searcher Willamette Valley: The New Burgundy? 6/4/21
Robb Report 10 Amazing Oregon Chardonnays that Rival The Great White Burgundies, 7/27/20
Oregon Wine History Archive “Oral History Interview” 12/16/19
The Wall St. Journal The Wines to Buy This Thanksgiving: A Guide to America’s Up-and-Coming Regions 11/15/19
Imbibe How Nomadic Winemakers are Fueling Creativity Through Independence #79, May/June 2019
New York Times Chardonnay, The Oregon Way 6/14/18
A Fine Wine Safari The Great Blind Chardonnay Challenge 2018 - New World Chardonnay Giving Burgundy a Run for Its Money... 6/18/18