1999s poured blind, with a few unplanned extras (The Winery Restaurant in Newport Beach, CA (The OC)): When this was poured, it was quite golden in color with a glossy texture with some apple and an oxidized, overly matured aroma. The consensus was this was over the hill based on the oxidation that had come through this bottle. Maybe hard to argue that this is a failed bottle when it is 20 years old. It's an aged Chard that has seen its sunset so I chose not to mark this as 'flawed'.
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Amber-gold color. Aromas of orange peel, honey, apricot, and toasted nuts. Palate has marzipan, orange, apricot, a bit of honey and butterscotch with a bit of marshmallow on a medium finish. This is definitely delivering the old Chardonnay experience and there's plenty of interest left in this bottle if you aren't averse to some oxidation flavors and colors. Drink.
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Rich yellow-gold hue. Nose offers butterscotch, cream and minerals. Palate is medium bodied with a solid dose of mature fruit and acidity that is still lively. Prominent oxidative note comes before the green apple, butterscotch and mineral flavors. Wooly finish is light. Personally, I will drink my last bottle ASAP. A good wine, but preferred it a tad younger.
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Medium gold color. Aromas of butterscotch cream, vanilla, and toasted hazelnut. Palate showcases mature flavors of butterscotch, toasted nuts, vanilla cream, and vanilla wafer cookie that carry into a medium-long finish that has some toasted nut and slightly bitter sherry flavors. This is solid, mature, Mount Eden and has moved into its next stage of development. I preferred it more three years ago and expect it to get progressively more oxidized over the coming years. Structure will hold this together as an interesting old Chardonnay experience, I expect. For me, drink up.
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From magnum. Initial color is bright yellow-gold, but it quickly takes on a more amber/honeyed tone in the glass. Aromas are of butterscotch, lemon custard, vanilla flowers, and dried mango. The palate shows butterscotch and hazelnut character with a lemony veneer that carries into a medium-long finish that shows a hint of marshmallow at the end. Seemingly fresher than the last 750 mL bottle enjoyed, but not a massive difference in performance. Drink.
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A very interesting wine as this was our mystery wine. For the first half hour in the glass this had no fruit whatsoever, but a nice buttery, caramel and vanilla flavor, very dry. My first guesses were an aged pinot gris as no real fruit had appeared and it wasn't boasting with minerals, but no citrus either. I was dumb founded. Eventually the fruit came out and showed some apple and lemon but very little acid to back it up. For a California chardonnay that is almost 13, this was showing quite well. Not what I'm used too in chardonnay but very pleasant.
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Seems more mature than the previous bottle but still an excellent wine. Color was a deeper shade of yellow. Aromas of pineapple, Golden Delicious apples, butter, and toasty oak. Full bodied with an almost oily viscosity.
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Fantastic showing. Golden color in the glass. Nose is beautiful and expressive aged Chardonnay - with golden apple, mineral and spice. Palate is round, with soft white fruit, slightly oxidative notes and still racy acidity providing energy and verve. Just sublime.
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Medium yellow-gold color. Aromas of quince, pineapple, minerals, green fig, and apple. Palate shows some marshmallow and toasted hazelnuts with quince, pineapple, and apple notes that carry into a medium finish that shows some stony notes. This is on form and validates that the bottle of a week past was atypically oxidized. Drink, none the less.
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More advanced amber-gold color. Aromas of buttered pineapple, ripe orange, and a hint of nuttiness. Palate shows oxidation with orange peel, almond, and fig notes that carry in to a relatively short finish. Worked with a fall squash risotto. Unless this is an atypical bottle, it is time to drink these up. Drink up.
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This is a delicious, juicy chardonnay that does not show it's age at least when compared to the 1992 that was drunk side-by-sde. Pale yellow color with citrus dominated by grapefruit (similar to a savignon blanc) but with vanilla and buttered popcorn.
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Deep golden color. The nose is still fresh with ripe tropical fruit, roasted nuts and citrus. Rich, ripe and full bodied flavors have just enough lift to pull it off. A very good bottle tonight of a classic vintage of MEV Estate Chardonnay. Drink up.
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Medium gold color with glints of green. Aromas of pineapple, mango, butterscotch, and a hint of toasted nut. On the palate, the nuttiness is a background note to the pineapple, mango, butterscotch, and vanilla foreground. Showing very well and consistent with prior notes. Drink.
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Medium yellow-gold color. Aromas of lemon, butterscotch, mango, pineapple, vanilla and yellow flowers. On the palate, this shows sweet butterscotch, pineapple, lemon, and a hint of hazelnut. Finish is medium-long. Showing pretty well, but time to start drinking if you have a stash. If you have a single and want an aged experience, this will give it to you in 2-4 years.
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Medium yellow-gold color. Butterscotch and lemon notes on the nose. A slight nutty character lurks under the dominant butterscotch notes on the palate. At the finish, some lemon/pineapple notes emerge. Seems less flashy than the last bottle, about a year ago. Will probably transform into an old Chardonnay with a few more years in the bottle. Drink up if you like some fruit or hold for the "older Mount Eden experience".
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Bright yellow-gold color. Aromas of honeysuckle, butterscotch, vanilla, and lemon curd. On the palate, the butterscotch is forefront with lemon notes emerging in the mid-palate. These transform to a pineapple note over time. Large volume wine with a long finish. Prior notes of nuttiness not really present in this bottle, but could have been canceled by the walnuts in the pasta this was served with.
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Bright yellow-gold in glass. Aromas of honeysuckle, grilled bread, and hazelnuts. On the palate, roasted hazelnuts, butterscotch, and hints of tropical fruit. Consistent with previous bottles this year and drinking in a good spot right now.
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Youthful yellow color with green glints to my eye. Explosive nose of grilled nuts, buttered, grilled pineapple, mango, and butterscotch. Ripe butterscotch, fig, lemon, and pineapple on front of palate that transitions into long toasted nut finish. Defies its age and is immensely pleasurable now. Still a bit youthful with acidity not fully in check. Acid and heat show at the end of the 30+ second finish. A winner in my book.
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Golden hued and deeply fragrant with exotic citrus, roasted nuts and sexy perfumed. Rich mature flavors are well supported by good fresh acidity. A full-bodied , glorious example that will probably not get any better but could hang in there for a few more years. I plan on diringing the rest by the end of this year.
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-I know that the Mount Eden clone produces chardonnays that are darker in color than most but this looks old--deep yellow/gold. - Aromas are fine, however, with floral/gardinia base and citrus zest on top. - rich and full bodied, buttered toast, minerally citrus. Good acidity. - long and powerful on the finish. Recent vintages of this wine (including this one) lead me to believe that we will not be looking at real long term aging potential. This may not improve much with further time in the cellar. Drink now-2009.
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Bright disc. Medium straw with clear rim. Intense nose, showing pear, melon, honey, vanilla and light tropical fruit. Medium-bodied, with excellent acidity and medium oak (which does not hide the fruit nor mask the varietal character). Similar flavors as for the nose. Long, smooth finish.
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12/23/2018 - brigcampbell wrote:
Same bottle at FMIII. Bummer as the oxidation drove the palate here. I finished my pour but most dumped it.
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12/19/2018 - Frank Murray III wrote:
1999s poured blind, with a few unplanned extras (The Winery Restaurant in Newport Beach, CA (The OC)): When this was poured, it was quite golden in color with a glossy texture with some apple and an oxidized, overly matured aroma. The consensus was this was over the hill based on the oxidation that had come through this bottle. Maybe hard to argue that this is a failed bottle when it is 20 years old. It's an aged Chard that has seen its sunset so I chose not to mark this as 'flawed'.
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11/11/2013 - fredb Likes this wine:
Amber-gold color. Aromas of orange peel, honey, apricot, and toasted nuts. Palate has marzipan, orange, apricot, a bit of honey and butterscotch with a bit of marshmallow on a medium finish. This is definitely delivering the old Chardonnay experience and there's plenty of interest left in this bottle if you aren't averse to some oxidation flavors and colors. Drink.
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5/5/2013 - Nanda wrote: 90 Points
Rich yellow-gold hue. Nose offers butterscotch, cream and minerals. Palate is medium bodied with a solid dose of mature fruit and acidity that is still lively. Prominent oxidative note comes before the green apple, butterscotch and mineral flavors. Wooly finish is light. Personally, I will drink my last bottle ASAP. A good wine, but preferred it a tad younger.
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3/5/2013 - fredb Likes this wine:
Medium gold color. Aromas of butterscotch cream, vanilla, and toasted hazelnut. Palate showcases mature flavors of butterscotch, toasted nuts, vanilla cream, and vanilla wafer cookie that carry into a medium-long finish that has some toasted nut and slightly bitter sherry flavors. This is solid, mature, Mount Eden and has moved into its next stage of development. I preferred it more three years ago and expect it to get progressively more oxidized over the coming years. Structure will hold this together as an interesting old Chardonnay experience, I expect. For me, drink up.
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11/17/2012 - fredb Likes this wine:
From magnum. Initial color is bright yellow-gold, but it quickly takes on a more amber/honeyed tone in the glass. Aromas are of butterscotch, lemon custard, vanilla flowers, and dried mango. The palate shows butterscotch and hazelnut character with a lemony veneer that carries into a medium-long finish that shows a hint of marshmallow at the end. Seemingly fresher than the last 750 mL bottle enjoyed, but not a massive difference in performance. Drink.
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5/18/2012 - DoubleD1969 wrote: 92 Points
Similar notes from January.
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1/14/2012 - Champagneinhand wrote: 90 Points
A very interesting wine as this was our mystery wine. For the first half hour in the glass this had no fruit whatsoever, but a nice buttery, caramel and vanilla flavor, very dry. My first guesses were an aged pinot gris as no real fruit had appeared and it wasn't boasting with minerals, but no citrus either. I was dumb founded. Eventually the fruit came out and showed some apple and lemon but very little acid to back it up. For a California chardonnay that is almost 13, this was showing quite well. Not what I'm used too in chardonnay but very pleasant.
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1/14/2012 - DoubleD1969 wrote: 92 Points
Seems more mature than the previous bottle but still an excellent wine. Color was a deeper shade of yellow. Aromas of pineapple, Golden Delicious apples, butter, and toasty oak. Full bodied with an almost oily viscosity.
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12/10/2011 - Nanda wrote: 93 Points
Fantastic showing. Golden color in the glass. Nose is beautiful and expressive aged Chardonnay - with golden apple, mineral and spice. Palate is round, with soft white fruit, slightly oxidative notes and still racy acidity providing energy and verve. Just sublime.
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10/4/2011 - fredb Likes this wine:
Medium yellow-gold color. Aromas of quince, pineapple, minerals, green fig, and apple. Palate shows some marshmallow and toasted hazelnuts with quince, pineapple, and apple notes that carry into a medium finish that shows some stony notes. This is on form and validates that the bottle of a week past was atypically oxidized. Drink, none the less.
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9/28/2011 - fredb wrote: flawed
More advanced amber-gold color. Aromas of buttered pineapple, ripe orange, and a hint of nuttiness. Palate shows oxidation with orange peel, almond, and fig notes that carry in to a relatively short finish. Worked with a fall squash risotto. Unless this is an atypical bottle, it is time to drink these up. Drink up.
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9/22/2011 - DoubleD1969 wrote: 91 Points
This is a delicious, juicy chardonnay that does not show it's age at least when compared to the 1992 that was drunk side-by-sde. Pale yellow color with citrus dominated by grapefruit (similar to a savignon blanc) but with vanilla and buttered popcorn.
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4/10/2011 - jfagan wrote: 91 Points
Deep golden color. The nose is still fresh with ripe tropical fruit, roasted nuts and citrus. Rich, ripe and full bodied flavors have just enough lift to pull it off. A very good bottle tonight of a classic vintage of MEV Estate Chardonnay. Drink up.
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4/12/2010 - fredb Likes this wine:
Medium gold color with glints of green. Aromas of pineapple, mango, butterscotch, and a hint of toasted nut. On the palate, the nuttiness is a background note to the pineapple, mango, butterscotch, and vanilla foreground. Showing very well and consistent with prior notes. Drink.
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3/31/2010 - fredb Likes this wine:
Medium yellow-gold color. Aromas of lemon, butterscotch, mango, pineapple, vanilla and yellow flowers. On the palate, this shows sweet butterscotch, pineapple, lemon, and a hint of hazelnut. Finish is medium-long. Showing pretty well, but time to start drinking if you have a stash. If you have a single and want an aged experience, this will give it to you in 2-4 years.
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2/6/2010 - fredb wrote:
Medium yellow-gold color. Butterscotch and lemon notes on the nose. A slight nutty character lurks under the dominant butterscotch notes on the palate. At the finish, some lemon/pineapple notes emerge. Seems less flashy than the last bottle, about a year ago. Will probably transform into an old Chardonnay with a few more years in the bottle. Drink up if you like some fruit or hold for the "older Mount Eden experience".
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2/20/2009 - fredb wrote:
Bright yellow-gold color. Aromas of honeysuckle, butterscotch, vanilla, and lemon curd. On the palate, the butterscotch is forefront with lemon notes emerging in the mid-palate. These transform to a pineapple note over time. Large volume wine with a long finish. Prior notes of nuttiness not really present in this bottle, but could have been canceled by the walnuts in the pasta this was served with.
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11/2/2008 - fredb wrote:
Bright yellow-gold in glass. Aromas of honeysuckle, grilled bread, and hazelnuts. On the palate, roasted hazelnuts, butterscotch, and hints of tropical fruit. Consistent with previous bottles this year and drinking in a good spot right now.
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7/4/2008 - eudora wrote: 95 Points
Complex, nutty, deeply layered.
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6/24/2008 - fredb wrote:
Consistent with 5/28/08 tasting note.
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5/28/2008 - fredb wrote:
Youthful yellow color with green glints to my eye. Explosive nose of grilled nuts, buttered, grilled pineapple, mango, and butterscotch. Ripe butterscotch, fig, lemon, and pineapple on front of palate that transitions into long toasted nut finish. Defies its age and is immensely pleasurable now. Still a bit youthful with acidity not fully in check. Acid and heat show at the end of the 30+ second finish. A winner in my book.
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5/19/2008 - jfagan wrote: 93 Points
Golden hued and deeply fragrant with exotic citrus, roasted nuts and sexy perfumed. Rich mature flavors are well supported by good fresh acidity. A full-bodied , glorious example that will probably not get any better but could hang in there for a few more years. I plan on diringing the rest by the end of this year.
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12/9/2006 - jfagan wrote: 92 Points
-I know that the Mount Eden clone produces chardonnays that are darker in color than most but this looks old--deep yellow/gold.
- Aromas are fine, however, with floral/gardinia base and citrus zest on top.
- rich and full bodied, buttered toast, minerally citrus. Good acidity.
- long and powerful on the finish. Recent vintages of this wine (including this one) lead me to believe that we will not be looking at real long term aging potential. This may not improve much with further time in the cellar. Drink now-2009.
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11/20/2005 - bdenuyl wrote: 89 Points
Very dry, without any depth or richness. It could have been the bottle, but it didn’t seem very good.
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1/24/2003 - La Cave d'Argent wrote: 93 Points
Bright disc. Medium straw with clear rim. Intense nose, showing pear, melon, honey, vanilla and light tropical fruit. Medium-bodied, with excellent acidity and medium oak (which does not hide the fruit nor mask the varietal character). Similar flavors as for the nose. Long, smooth finish.
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