Tasting Notes

Release Date: Spring 2020

The Edna Valley has one of the longest growing seasons in the world for the Chardonnay grape. Budbreak, the official start of the growing season, occurs in February with harvest, the official end, happening in October.

The 2017 is a very expressive wine, with aromas of honeysuckle, rose petal and lemon custard all on display. On the palate there is a generous impression of gardenia blossom, toasty oak and citrus. Completely barrel-fermented in French oak, this Chardonnay is aged nine months on the fermentation sediments in our mountain cave.

Production

4,598

Tech Notes

Yield: 2.0 tons per acre

Harvest: September 7th - October 7th

Numbers @ Harvest: 23.2° Brix, 3.33 pH, 7.2 grams acidity

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

Bottling: June 2018

Alcohol: 14.0%

Reviews

93 points Robert Parker Jr's The Wine Advocate  - February 2020, Week 1

This comes mostly from the Wolf vineyard with some fruit from the Middle Ranch vineyard. The 2017 Edna Valley Chardonnay opens with wonderful aromas of honeycomb, orange blossoms, saline, crushed shell and loads of baked apple and quince with an earthy undercurrent. The palate is medium-bodied, satiny and intense, with seamless freshness on the finish, which lingers with honeyed notions. —E. B.

93 points Wine Enthusiast Magazine - November 2020

Pleasantly briny hints of sea spray and beach dew meet with golden nuts and dried lemon peels in the intensely complex nose of this bottling. The texture is compelling, leading into full flavors of lemon balm, salted macadamia nuts, orange rind and creamy guava peel. —M.K.

90 points Antonio Galloni Presents Vinous - October 31, 2019

The 2017 Chardonnay Edna Valley is soft, open and inviting. Tangerine peel, almond, lemon confit and tropical notes infuse the 2017 with lovely character and textural richness, all in the mid-weight style that is typical of the Mount Eden wines. In 2017, the Edna Valley is a blend of fruit from several vineyards in the appellation. This is such a pretty wine, and a fabulous value to boot.