Monday, August 6, 2012

Mount Eden...Jewel of the Santa Cruz Mountains

The Santa Cruz Mountains appellation is an up and coming area producing excellent cool-climate wines with wonderful mineral components from their hillside vineyards. Mount Eden have been producing wines since 1972 and have been the standard bearer of the appellation...


2009 Mount Eden Chardonnay "Wolff Vineyard" Edna Valley On Sale $18.99
Pale yellow.  Musky, powerfully scented aromas of orchard fruits, smoky lees, truffle and iodine; smells like a top-notch Chassagne.  Weighty and round but sharply focused, offering fresh pear, peach, tangerine and buttered toast flavors.  The iodine element returns on the long, smoky finish.  Lots going on here, especially for the price.
Rated 91/100 Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar

2008 Mount Eden Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Santa Cruz Mountains On Sale $49.99

Rustic, dense, chewy and tannic, but also deeply concentrated, so be patient with the potent currant, crushed rock and cedar flavors. Best to let this sleep for a few years, or at least give it a good decant. Best from 2015 through 2028. 1,218 cases made.
Rated 90/100 Wine Spectator

2009 Mount Eden Estate Chardonnay Santa Cruz Mountains On Sale $49.99

"At first, this teases, fresh and snappy, displaying lively acidity and zesty citrus, green apple and pear notes. Turns pithy midpalate, but the flavors pour though on the finish, adding mouthwatering touches of light oak and mineral. Should only get better. Drink now through 2025. 1,974 cases made.
Rated 94/100 Wine Spectator

2009 Domaine Eden Chardonnay Santa Cruz Mountains On Sale $22.99

"The blend this year was 60% from Mount Eden's estate vines and 40% from Domaine Eden. The grapes were picked by hand and crushed within three hours of harvest, barrel-fermented in Burgundy barrels and aged on the lees for ten months.This wine is icy clean, vibrant and mineral in style with flavors of citrus zest, quince and spring flowers.  For lovers of precision and delicacy in the expression of Chardonnay, this is it. It should age beautifully for 7-10 years. Total Production: 2,909 cases"

-Winemaker's Tasting Notes
As one would expect, this Chardonnay exhibits classic Mount Eden Burundian style with detailed aromas and flavors of citrus fruit, anise, dill and earth.  More open in personality than the Estate at the same age, yet with all the length of the flagship.
2010 Domaine Eden Pinot Noir Santa Cruz Mountains On Sale $29.99
"2010 was a cool year overall in Northern California.  The weather allowed us to harvest a moderate crop at a leisurely pace, a full month later than normal.   The tricky Pinot Noir does well when it ripens slowly under late September skies. In short, this is a great Pinot Noir vintage. With the blessed coolness, each block was fermented and barrel-aged separately, allowing us to learn more about this beautiful property. We farm a wide variety of selections including 828, Calera, Mount Eden, Swan, 667 and 777 from the Pinot vineyards. All of the fermentations were natural, meaning no added yeast or malolactic cultures. The wine ages in French barrels for twelve months and is bottled without any fining for filtration. Precise aromas of black raspberry, black cherry and pomegranate combine with a racy texture, generous acidity and flavors of blueberry and earth. If you like Pinot Noir with flavor and backbone, this is your style. I am very proud of this offering and it shows me the incredible potential of our new site." peak.
Winemaker's Tasting Notes

2008 Domaine Eden Cabernet Sauvignon Santa Cruz Mountains On Sale $27.99
"This wine is sourced from a mix of Mount Eden's estate, Domaine Eden and three nearby vineyards owned by dear friends who spend a "king's ransom" for perfection. The concept is to offer a Bordeaux-styled Cabernet which speaks of the Santa Cruz Mountains - specifically the mid-appellation. This is complementary to our historic Estate Cabernet which is solely from the vineyards at Mount Eden. The blend is always somewhat of a surprise as the varietal composition changes year to year. The 2008 is composed of 77% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10 % Cabernet France, 9% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot, and 1% Malbec.  Unfined, unfiltered, all fermentations were with native yeasts. The wine is as expected: Savory not sweet (aka Napa Cabs) with complex elegant berry fruit of black currant and black cherries with tell-tale chalky-earth notes that bespeak of the Santa Cruz Mountains.Worthy of cellaring for 10-15 years, it is an incredible value."
-Winemaker's Tasting notes
 Cabernet has aromas of briary currant, sage, mint and sweet oak.  Less tannis and acidity on the palate than is evident in the Estate, there is an earlier window of enjoyable drinking.
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