Tasting Notes

Release Date: Spring 2017

The reserve wine is made by selecting eleven barrels of our estate Chardonnay after ten months aging sur-lie in our cave. These barrels—sediments and all—are transferred into a small stainless steel tank at our Domaine Eden production facility. We stir the lot and wait—aging the wine another 12 months. During this period the sediments or lees disappear into the wine. What are these sediments? Primarily expired yeast cells. Winemakers have known for a long time the preservative qualities these cells can give, especially to a white wine.

The nose is laced with gardenia blossom, baked bread and a slight reduction. The palate is tight with gripping acidity and beguiling richness. The wine is just beginning to open up at this stage. Comparisons to the Estate Chardonnay will provide many years of lively discussion.

We have been making this reserve since 2007 and I can now say, after ten years of tasting, that this wine is better than our estate bottled—not necessarily when young— but with generous bottle age (in a good cellar) it’s hard to beat.

Production

257

Tech Notes

Yield: 2.5 tons per acre

Harvest: August 23rd-September 3rd

Numbers @ Harvest: 23.0° Brix, 3.20 pH, 8.1 grams acidity

Barrel Regimen: French Oak 70% new, 30% 1-2 years; 100% Barrel Fermented; 100% Malolactic; 10 months on the sur-lie (in barrel)

11 barrels selected for Reserve program in July 2014; wine and lees stirred then aged an additional 12 months in stainless steel tank

Bottling: July 2015

Alcohol: 14%

Reviews

95 points JebDunnuck.com - August 24, 2017

The 2013 Chardonnay Reserve is a selection of the top 11 barrels made from the estate Chardonnay after spending 10 months in barrel. It then spent another 12 months, on lees, in stainless steel, and there’s a tiny 262 cases produced. It sports a vibrant gold color as well a rich bouquet of golden fruits, citrus, toasted bread, flowers and honeysuckle. It’s beautifully concentrated, has plenty of texture, good acidity and a clean finish. I love its balance and purity, and it’s going benefit from short term cellaring and keep for two decades. Want to show your Burgundy loving friends how good California Chardonnay is? Let them try this wine.

94+ points Antonio Galloni presents Vinous - August 31, 2017

Translucent and lifted, the 2013 Chardonnay Reserve is yet another brilliant wine from Mount Eden. Lemon confit, white flowers and mint all grace this exquisite, super-inviting Chardonnay. There is plenty of energy, depth and structure, but today those elements are more implied rather than overtly stated.