Tasting Notes

Release Date: Spring 2017

One of the beauties about being a winemaker at a small winery is the freedom to make the kind of wines you enjoy drinking yourself. Because of our size, we do not have to succumb to pressures from the market to style our wines to the moment. Instead we follow the middle path, not underripe, not overripe, moderate alcohol, oak, density and price. We grow our vines in an old-fashioned way with no irrigation, no fertilization in the vineyard and no yeasts or cultures in the winery. This natural approach can only be done successfully on a small scale.

2013 was an early harvest, with an early bud break and relatively warm growing season. Picking was done by the end of September. Decanter Magazine (February 2017) rated this wine 98 points, the highest out of a field of 191 Cabernets from California. One of the judges, Stephen Brook had this to say, “Exquisite black currant nose! This leads onto a silky, lean, elegant palate with fresh acidity in an atypically mouthwatering style of California Cab. It has intensity, persistence, charm and finesse.”

 

Production

2,390

Tech Notes

Yield: 2 tons per acre

Harvest: September 11th-October 1st

Numbers @ Harvest: 23.2° Brix, 3.40 pH, 6.5 grams acidity

Cepage: 75% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 2% Malbec, 1.5% Petit Verdot, 1.5% Cabernet Franc,

Barrel Regimen: French 50%- 10 % new; American 50%- 10% new

Bottling: July 2015; no fining or filtration

Alcohol: 14%

Reviews

98 points Decanter - February 2017

Domaine Eden was born when Mount Eden Vineyards, one of the Santa Cruz Mountains’ most storied addresses, acquired a neighbouring property in 2007. Winemaker-owner Jeffrey Patterson supplements the estate’s own Cabernet Sauvignon planting with grapes purchased from the region’s best growers, and sometimes with declassified wine from Domaine Eden. The wines share classical aesthetic of Mount Eden, with refreshing acidity, moderate alcohol and fine structuring tannins, but their window of drinkability opens a little earlier. Drink 2017-2026.

92 points Antonio Galloni presents Vinous  - July 2016

Another gorgeous wine, the 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon is a huge overachiever in its price range. Inky dark red and blue-fleshed fruit, smoke, spices and licorice hit the palate as this exuberant, radiant Cabernet shows off its racy personality. There is more than enough plumpness to make the 2013 approachable young, but also enough density to drink well for a number of years. Graphite, smoke, licorice and black cherry jam infuse the super-expressive finish.