Decanter

• By Elin McCoy
  Mount Eden Vineyards, 5/24/2019 (link)

  (Mount Eden Vineyards, Estate Chardonnay, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains, California, USA, White) Subscribe to see review text.

View From the Cellar

• By John Gilman
  Jul/Aug 2018, Issue #76, The Summer of 2018 North American Wines Neo-Classicists and Old School Producers

  (Chardonnay “Estate Bottles”- Mount Eden Vineyards (Santa Cruz Mountains)) Subscribe to see review text.

JebDunnuck.com

• By Jeb Dunnuck
  California, Santa Cruz Mountains: The High Quality, yet Tiny Production 2015s, 8/24/2017 (link)

  (Mount Eden Vineyards Chardonnay Estate) Subscribe to see review text.

Vinous

• By Antonio Galloni
  Santa Cruz Mountains – The 2015s and 2014s (Aug 2017), 8/1/2017 (link)

  (Mount Eden Chardonnay (santa Cruz Mountains) Central Coast White) Subscribe to see review text.

Full Pull

• By Paul Zitarelli
  Full Pull Mount Eden Estate (+Referral Program REMINDER), 3/21/2018

  (Mount Eden Vineyards Chardonnay Santa Cruz Mountains) Referral Program REMINDER: Reminder that we’re piloting our Referral Mystery Box Program in 2018. Full details here. I’ll tease the program a little by revealing 1 of the 12 bottles in each tier: the Quarter Pull Mystery Box currently includes a bottle of Kiona Ice Wine; the Half Pull Mystery Box a bottle of Abeja Cabernet Sauvignon; and the Full Pull Mystery Box a bottle of No Girls Syrah. Thanks again to all of our list members who have been such amazing evangelizers over the years and who continue to spread the word about Full Pull! ---- Hello friends. High atop the steep slopes that jaggedly run up and down the Santa Cruz Mountains lives one of the most influential wineries in California: Mount Eden. To understand this place—the 80 year-old estate meticulously tended to, the terroir-specific wine made by Jeffrey Patterson—is to understand what makes California’s wine history so rich and important to the rest of the country. In a time when wine was still discovering its place in the United States, Martin Ray decided to trek up the hairpin bends of these rolling peaks and plant grapes that were lovingly brought over from France fifty years before. Though the winery was not even named Mount Eden at the time, Martin Ray planted his first grapes in 1945. From there, he continued to plant varieties up and down the mountain side. The estate’s wide-ranging elevation differences, as well as differences in maritime influence, yield microclimates diverse enough to grow everything from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir to Cabernet. The Pinot Noir and Chardonnay sit at a cooler, higher elevation of about 2,000 feet, while Cabernet takes up the warmer slopes closer to sea level. There is no question that this estate is special—it brought a man up a mountain 80 years ago to plant in a place no one else deemed fit. And the uniqueness of this place shows through the wines it produces. Eric Asmov described the estate’s influence best in a 2005 New York Times Article: ” The cabernets are more sinewy and lean than rich and concentrated. The pinot noir, which is made in very small quantities, is light-bodied and graceful rather than sweet and plush. And, rather than flavors of oak, butterscotch, tropical fruit and popcorn, the chardonnay offers captivating texture and subtle flavors wound around a core of lively acidity.” With consistently low yields, the quantity of these wines is never very much. When we get a chance to offer them, we jump on it immediately. This is only the third time ever that we’ve seen enough bottles to offer these wines to the list. Allocations may be brutal, but we’ll do our best to get every last bottle we can.In the late 1940s, Martin Ray planted the first six acres of Chardonnay at Mount Eden (which was known as Martin Ray Estates at the time). The vines were cultivated from a Burgundian planting that was brought to the United States from France sometime at the turn of the 20th century. Now, 20 acres of Estate Chardonnay are farmed at Mount Eden. This wine was 100% barrel-fermented in new and one-year-old French Burgundy barrels and aged for 10-month sur lie. The listed alcohol is 13.5%. It opens with bright lemon fruit, hazelnuts, lilies, and toasted barrel subtleties. The palate is a perfect snapshot of Mount Eden’s signature acid, energized and bright. It breaks through the warm, rich tones of apple and pear fruit, salty, oven-roasted nuts, and a touch of dusty earth. Mount Eden’s estate Chardonnay is widely considered one of California’s best and longest-lived white wines. If you have any interest in seeing what Chardonnay can do after five, ten, or even fifteen years, put one of these away in your cellar. JebDunnuck.com (Jeb Dunnuck): “Winemaker Jeffrey Patterson makes a classic, old-school, age-worthy style of wine from his vineyard located on the east side of the Santa Cruz Mountains. These wines see longer time in barrel than most, hence these are mostly 2014s and 2013s. This is unquestionably one of the benchmark estates for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in California. The 2014 Chardonnay Estate comes from 43% of the average yields (it was a tiny crop due to the drought) and was barrel fermented in 70% new French oak and aged 10 months on lees before bottling. It’s another youthful, slightly reserved Chardonnay that's going to benefit from cellaring. Brioche, buttered citrus, almond paste and honeysuckle all give way to a beautifully balanced, layered, rich effort that has vibrant acidity as well. Drink 2019-2029. 94pts.” Wine Enthusiast: Copyrighted material withheld.