Over the past few years, the potential of Oregon Chardonnay has become very clear.
Without a doubt, some of the best examples of Chardonnay that I've tasted outside of Burgundy have been from Oregon.
Sadly, despite all of the potential, it's very rare that I encounter Oregon Chardonnay that blows me away. Walter Scott's Chardonnays have historically been some of my favorite examples.
Recently, we tasted through Morgen Long's lineup of Chardonnays and the wines immediately jumped to the top of my list. They were thrilling. They were some of the most eye-opening wines I've tasted in quite some time. The comparisons with top white Burgundy producers that the tasting evoked would shock collectors.
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For Joe and myself, the 2022 Chardonnay Eola Amity Hills was the star of the show. The combination of concentration, precision, and verve was jaw-dropping.
After working in Burgundy at De Montille and California's cult producer Rhys, Seth Morgen Long returned to found Oregon's first and still only winery focused solely on Chardonnay.
This narrow focus has resulted in Chardonnays that have no trouble competing with the top examples of the grape from anywhere in the world. Each wine we tasted from Morgen Long had a singular rigor and intensity. It was rare to even sense that a single element was out of place.
The wines are sourced from some of Willamette Valley's top sites. The 2022 Eola Amity Hills is a blend of Seven Springs and X Omni, two great vineyards.
The 2022 Chardonnay Eola Amity Hills offers tons of intensity both in terms of gripping presence and a blazing, saline-inflected cut. The wine's length and finely tapering finish are astonishing. There's an explosive energy offering notes of ripe citrus, dried flowers, and crushed rocks.
This is simply a groundbreaking wine in terms of what's possible from Oregon Chardonnay. Anyone obsessed with top white Burgundy or other elite expressions of the Chardonnay grape needs to check out a bottle. The wine is that impressive.
To order, email offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Ian McFadden
Director, Fine & Rare
Crush Wine & Spirits
