Tasting Notes

Release Date: Fall 2021

Many people don’t know, but Mount Eden’s place in the world of California Cabernet is unique. Surrounded by miles of rugged forest, our vineyards are an island on the mountaintop.

Originally planted in the early 1950s, our Cabernet Vineyards are the longest producing Cabernet vineyards at elevation in any coastal appellation. The combination of our cool coastal climate and mountain soils produce a wine like no other in California.

2017 was a fabulous year for our estate. Generous winter rainfall allowed our vineyards to recover from the previous drought years. The crop size was average, and the weather at the final stages of ripening was comfortably cool.

Aromas of pine forest, black currant, sage, and vanilla abound. The flavors are saturated with blackberry and currant, complexed with difficult to describe earth notes. The structure is firm, as to be expected of our current forty-year-old, dry-farmed vines, yet balanced. The soft tannins complement the power of the wine.

Production

1,285

Tech Notes

Yield: 1.9 ton per acre

Harvest: September 25th-29th

Numbers @ Harvest: 23.7° Brix, 3.45 pH, 7.1 grams acidity

Cepage: 80% Cabernet Sauvignon, 15% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc & 2% Petit Verdot

Barrel Regimen: French & American; 60% new; aged 24 months in barrel

Bottling: August 2019; no fining or filtration

Alcohol: 14%

Reviews

97 points Antonio Galloni presents Vinous - May 2022

The 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon is going to need a number of years to come around. The only question is how many. In 2017, the Mount Eden Cabernet is shockingly opulent. Inky black fruit, bittersweet chocolate, spice, leather and incense are all dialed up in this super-sized Cabernet. Even so, there is plenty of structure lurking beneath. I can’t wait to see how this ages. Drinking window:  2027 – 2042—A.G.

97+ points JebDunnuck.com -December 21, 2021

A brilliant, youthful, unevolved wine that will give Ridge’s Monte Bello a run for its money, the 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon reveals a deep ruby/purple hue to go with a wonderful perfume of blackcurrants, blueberries, lead pencil, vanilla bean, exotic flowers, tobacco, and bouquet garni. Needing plenty of air to show at its best, it’s medium to full-bodied on the palate and has a concentrated, powerful style, ripe tannins, flawless balance, and a great finish. A blend of 82% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, 4% Cabernet France, and the rest Petit Verdot and Malbec, aged in used French and American oak, it’s going to benefit from 4 – 6 years of bottle age and, I suspect, have 30 – 40 years of overall longevity. Maturity 2025 – 2067                               

93 points Wine Spectator  - February 2022

This has a zesty set of loganberry, raspberry and sweet bay leaf notes mixed together, along with flashes of violet, mesquite and anise. There’s a good tug of warm gravel running underneath and nice energy throughout. Should mellow nicely with cellaring. Best from 2024 through 2034.— JM

92 points Wine Enthusiast Magazine  - December 2021

Balanced aromas of redwood and pine give depth to the asphalt and leather elements on the nose of this bottling. The American oak seems prominent on the dense, leathery palate, where dark and dried fruits play along with sandalwood and mahogany flavors. —M.K.

92 points Wine & Spirits Magazine  - December 2021

This is a staunch mountain wine that needs a day of air to come out of its shell.  It’s all hard edges at first, not so much about fruit, though the fruit is present; not inviting, but it leaves room for you to come inside. As the wine begins to relax, it feels like an old-fashioned cabernet with woodland flavors of mountain fruit and savory wild mushrooms. Powerful in its youthful structure, it needs a decade in the cellar for that structure to evolve. —J.G.