Morgen Long 2023 Chardonnay (Black Label) Willamette Valley, Oregon

The Morgen Long 2023 Black Label Chardonnay doesn’t announce itself—it unfolds. At the edge of the glass, oyster shell and crushed stone appear, followed by lemon curd and lime oil. There’s pine sap in the background, a soft musk, and then a turn into nectarine and tangerine that feels like a sigh.

What holds it together is form. There’s weight from extended lees contact, but that closeness never tips into heaviness. The finish echoes with the tension of wet rocks and citrus zest—bright, detailed, but never overwrought. It invites presence rather than applause.

This is as close to a vineyard anthology as Chardonnay gets. Fruit comes from six parcels—Witness Tree, von Oehsen, Durant, Koosah, Yamhill, and X Omni—each contributing distinct soil and slope. Seth Morgen Long ferments with wild yeast, ages in a mix of well-used puncheons and stainless steel, lets ambient malolactic cycle late, and leaves the wine unfined, unfiltered, unfluffed. The result? A wine that feels like place, not polish. 

This isn’t about volume—it’s about variation, held in harmony. Black Label 2023—Willamette’s clarity, captured.