Tasting Notes

Release Date: Fall 2017

This is our 31st year making Chardonnay from Edna Valley. The cool summers and slow-ripening here allow the fruit to develop nuance and complexity suiting our style perfectly. 2015 was another drought-influenced year with the crop being minuscule and the flavors magnified. The grapes were harvested in the first half of September, a full month early.

Barrel-fermented and aged on the lees for ten months, we devote the same attention and care to these barrels as we do to our Estate wines. The nose is full of earthy complexity which compliments the overall notes of white flowers and guava. It is rich and subtle on the palate with flavors of lemon and toasty oak.

Production

5,586

Tech Notes

Yield: 1.5 tons per acre

Harvest: September 4th - 17th

Numbers @ Harvest: 22.5° Brix, 3.40 pH, 8.0 grams acidity

Barrel Regimen: Mix of French & American Oak--2 to 5 years 100% Barrel Fermented; 100% Malolactic; 100% sur-lie

Bottling: June 2016

Alcohol: 13.5%

Reviews

90 points JebDunnuck.com - August 24, 2017

Coming from the cooler, pacific influenced AVA of the Edna Valley, the 2015 Chardonnay Edna Valley is more fruit forward than the Santa Cruz Mountain releases and offers lots of pineapple and tropical aromatics. It’s beautifully balanced, has good acidity and a clean texture. While it was brought up in a mix of new to 5-year-old American oak barrels, you couldn’t tell that from tasting it. There’s over 5,500 cases and it’s a terrific value, as well as a smoking good Chardonnay made by a great winemaker.

90 points Antonio Galloni presents Vinous - August 31, 2017

The 2015 Chardonnay (Edna Valley) is once again the hidden gem in the Mount Eden range. Soft contours and mid-weight structure give the 2015 much of its immediacy and sheer appeal. Orchard fruit, sweet floral notes, light honey, apricot and a hint of oak grace the silky, mid-weight finish. This is one of the very finest California Chardonnays in its price range. Readers looking for a budget-friendly Chardonnay should not miss it.

90 points Wine Enthusiast Magazine - November 2017

Presented with subtlety on the nose, this bottling by the iconic Santa Cruz Mountains winery delivers scents of toasted pine nuts and almonds, tangerine rind and lemon balm. There is racy acidity on the sip, where lemon peel, crisp pear and buttered apple flavors make for a very thorough Chardonnay. —M.K.

88 points Wine Spectator - Web Only 2017

Offers a mix of savory, herb-laced pear and melon flavors, with cedary oak and vegetal notes. Clean and easy-drinking. Drink now. –JL