Winemaker Notes
This focused, elegant chardonnay’s aromas feature lemon curd, caramel apple, and apple pie. On the palate, aromas are complemented by a light touch of baked apple and pear.
Incredibly food-friendly, the 2019 Highland Chardonnay is a perfect match for cream-sauced pasta, roast pork, and seafood.
Professional Ratings
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Tasting Panel
A polished and lush organic wine with a rich texture and complex flavors of toasted oak; clean, juicy, and long.
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Wine Enthusiast
Toasted brioche, slices of white peach and a drizzle of honey show on the nose of this classically made Chardonnay. The palate is texturally intense, with wet stone structure and flavors framing the chamomile and lemon-splash flavors.
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Wine Spectator
Decadently spiced, with accents of roasted hazelnut and caramel to the well-knit baked apple and pear tart flavors. Dried mango hints line the open-textured finish.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2019 Morgan Highland Chardonnay shows excellent ripe fruit and generosity on the palate. TASTING NOTES: This wine exhibits aromas and flavors of ripe apple, spice, and oak. Try it with Lobster Newberg. (Tasted: October 5, 2021, San Francisco, CA)
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
Perhaps the most highly regarded appellation within Monterey County, Santa Lucia Highlands AVA benefits from a combination of warm morning sunshine and brisk afternoon breezes, allowing grapes to ripen slowly and fully. The result is concentrated, flavorful wines that retain their natural acidity. Wineries here do not shy away from innovation, and place a high priority on sustainable viticultural practices.
The climatic conditions here are perfectly suited to the production of ripe, rich Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. These Burgundian varieties dominate an overwhelming percentage of plantings, though growers have also found success with Syrah, Riesling and Pinot Gris.