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Wine Recommendation
Morgan Winery
2005 Cotes du Crow's(Monterey)
Morgan’s Cotes du Crow’s started as a blend of Zinfandel and Syrah called Crow’s Roost. It was an inexpensive, second-label wine that provided a home for small lots that didn’t make it into Morgan’s other wines. Then the winery quit producing Zin but started buying some Grenache. The blend of Syrah and Grenache was so much better than the old Crow’s Roost that owner Dan Lee decided to put it under the Morgan label. But he wanted to keep the crow theme going and settled on Cotes du Crow’s.
At first, Syrah dominated, but in recent vintages, including this 2005, Cotes du Crow’s been a 50-50 blend of Grenache and Syrah. Most of the fruit is from the San Lucas AVA in southern Monterey County, where the climate is warmer than in Morgan’s estate vineyard in the Santa Lucia Highlands.
The wine was fermented in open-top stainless fermenters, using manual punch-downs for good extraction without harsh tannins. The components of the blend were aged for 10 months in French oak barrels, 20 percent of them new, and then the blend was assembled. The 2005 Cotes du Crow’s has loads of round, ripe blackberry and strawberry fruit, but there’s also some good supporting structure. It’s easy to drink, reasonably priced at $18, and would make a great addition to your spring or summer barbecue.
Reviewed April 20, 2007 by Laurie Daniel.
Other reviewed wines from Morgan Winery
The Wine
Winery: Morgan Winery |
The Reviewer
Laurie Daniel
Laurie Daniel, wine columnist for the San Jose Mercury News, has been reviewing wine for more than 10 years. She doesn’t use numbers, preferring to describe her recommended wines and let consumers decide for themselves. Laurie believes that bigger isn’t necessarily better; she’s partial to wines of balance, finesse and character. Her particular interests are Pinot Noir (versions that really taste like Pinot, that is) and aromatic whites like Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling and Gewürztraminer. |