Let’s just get the bad news out of the way.

This is the FINAL featured Morgado we will have. Ever.

But the good news? You guessed it - the same stunning quality AND the same irresistible deal. A freefall from $65 to $25 makes it a no-brainer at over 60% OFF.

Morgado Cellars will be no more… while we did manage to scrape together some bits and pieces of past vintages of some other stunners (coming to you in a Store Takeover soon…) this will be the Grand Finale featured offer.

So… don’t be sad it’s over, be happy it happened? And lock some down while you still can.

Morgado comes from San Francisco firefighter Kimberly Hatcher, and she’s been making some fantastic wines for over a decade. Back when Robert Parker had brought everyone’s attention, he wrote that “Kimberly works with Russell Bevan and is a volunteer firefighter as well, but she has a super talent for winemaking, seems totally driven to produce something world-class, and appears to be succeeding in no uncertain terms. Unfortunately, the production of all her wines is relatively small… Nevertheless, I loved these wines. Kimberly has obviously picked up a few lessons from her mentor, Russell Bevan, as these are all full-throttle, complex, savory, mouth-filling, delicious wines…”

Hatcher is a disciple of the Russell Bevan school of 100-point winemaking and most of her wines follow suit. While this one doesn’t bring any ratings for the ride, nearly every wine she made over the years earned high scores in the 95+ range. This one seems well deserving of a similar grade. It hails from Spanish Springs Vineyard, nestled in the Edna Valley part of the newly christened San Luis Obispo Coast appellation. Just 2 miles from the Pacific, it’s a cooler, coastal climate perfectly suited for Chardonnay, with sandy loam and shale soils that deliver incredible minerality into the wines.

A healthy dose of oak gives this one a full body, with an almost hazy appearance in the glass. It swells with hazelnuts, brioche, lanolin, and toasted almonds taking the spotlight. Subtle lemony accents, and subdued pineapple flank the otherwise savory core. Plenty of minerality and browned butter carry through as well, and it all combines into one very unique Chardonnay with a ton of character and depth. At this young age, it has a LONG road ahead if you can wait it out (or secure enough to stash.)

No press on this 6-barrels-only run, but it’s reassuring to know that Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate has consistently rated Morgado Chardonnays 95 or higher in the past.

For $25?! Get yours before the curtain drops and we say farewell to this Operative-favorite project. It’s been a good run and Kimberly’s wines will surely be missed!