2019 Morgan Winery, Cotes du Crows, Red Wine, Monterey County.
Maybe the best value in Morgan’s stellar lineup is their richly flavored and spicy Cotes du Crows, a Cotes du Rhone inspired red that shows an impressive array of vinous red fruits, a touch of earthy savory elements, some snappy pepper, licorice and a hint of sweet oak in a very quaffable no pretense package. The concentrated dark berry, plum, strawberry and candied watermelon fruit and lush ripe tannins make this a perfect BBQ wine and is an easy to love fan favorite with a mouth filling plush body and floral detail, there’s nothing to fault here and to be honest, if this was twice the price it would be just as good. Morgan has really upped the game with their alternative bottlings, along with their exceptional Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, with this one in particular being a tasty and rewarding wine, along with their Albarino, Tempranillo and Syrah offerings, they all should not be missed.

The dark garnet Cotes du Crows is a proprietary blend of mainly Grenache and Syrah, but has a small percentage of Cinsault and uniquely some Tempranillo, a grape Dan Lee, owner of Morgan, has always loved and thought had huge potential in Monterey. Coming from a mix of vineyards, most in and around Arroyo Seco with sandy shale loam soils and with a slightly cooler Pacific Ocean influenced climate, the 2019 ended being a cepage of 62% Grenache Noir, 29% Syrah, 5% Tempranillo, the main grape in Rioja, and 4% Cinsault. Winemaker Sam Smith, who is gifted with Rhone varietals, has stamped his influence here and the winemaking is all about extracting purity and personality here, with tank fermentation and manual punch downs before going into mostly used French oak barrels for 10 months with just about 7% new wood employed. This is a vintage to stock up on, especially since there will not be a 2020, because of the fires in the region, it’s a flamboyant and delicious red to enjoy over the next 3 to 5 years and a great party wine. The latest collection of Morgan’s estate grown Double L stuff, from the 2021 vintage is some of the SLH’s best and very much worth your attention too.
($22 Est.) 93 Points, grapelive

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