We recently discovered two stellar wines from superstar winemaker Morgan Lee at Two Vintners. 2019 Alice and 2019 Oliver sing, just like all of Morgan’s wines. We said it before, and we’ll say it again: We’ve never met a wine from Morgan Lee that we didn’t like. Or love. Alice is a new release, while Oliver represents the most recent vintage. And Alice is a very special occasion wine. Read on for details.

Stellar Wines from Morgan Lee

We have been drinking Morgan Lee’s stellar wines for years. Our first bottle: Syrah from Covington Cellars, where he became the winemaker in 2007. In the same year, he founded Two Vintners in a partnership with the owners of Covington. We became major fans of his Syrahs. And the hits continued year after year. They still do, along with other varieties. For example, he recently introduced us to 2018 Gayle at Celebrate WA Wine. Next, he sent us 2019 Alice and 2019 Oliver.

Two Vintners 2019 Alice ($80)

Looking for a special-occasion wine? 2019 Alice hits all the right notes. Morgan is a rock-star winemaker, and he is very excited about the initial bottling of this wine, which he wanted to create for a long time. The blend of 90% Merlot and 10% Petit Verdot is sourced from three Yakima Valley vineyards: Boushey, Pollard and Olsen. Aromas of oranges and plums lead into flavors of dark fruit, spices, black currants and black pepper. Decant it or better yet, put it away for a few years and be prepared to be wowed. Morgan named this beautiful blend after the winery’s Black Labrador, Alice. It’s perfect for a celebration. Go ask Alice. I think she’ll know.

Two Vintners 2019 Oliver ($55)

Oliver is a unique Rhone blend named after Morgan’s son. Consequently, the first vintage was 2009, the year Oliver was born. What a cool blend – 70% Grenache, 20% Syrah, and 5% each of Petite Sirah and Cinsault. WeatherEye Vineyard – which is getting so much buzz lately (for good reason!) – sourced the Grenache. Olsen produced the remaining varieties. You will want to linger over this impressive full-bodied wine. Pretty aromas of berries and herbs mirror the palate. Gorgeous.

Two 2020 Vintners Gayle ($50)

This 90% Syrah is blended with 10% Roussanne. This is unusual and subsequently brings lovely floral scents to the Syrah. As well, aromas of oranges, blackberries, smoke and chocolate echo on the palate, along with honey and mineral notes. Further, Morgan’s style of minimal intervention is evident. Gayle is approachable now, particularly after decanting. However, we’d rather put it in the cellar, where it will evolve for a few years.