Tasting Notes

Release Date: Winter/Spring 2008

2004 was an early year with the harvest kicking off in late August. We were bottling at this time and caught off guard by the “march of the grapes.” Albeit an early and ripe year, the 2004 is quite special.

Robert Parker best describes this wine… "the 2004 Chardonnay Estate offers a beautiful perfume of subtle pineapple, orange marmalade, buttered citrus, white currants, and wet rocks. In the mouth, it reveals stunning purity, crisp acidity, and a drinkabiltiy window of 7-10 years. It is very rich, but surprisingly light on its feet."

The wine has already received very high praise from the Wine Spectator (94) and Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate (95).

Production

1,577

Tech Notes

Yield: 2 tons per acre Harvest: August 21st - September 4th Numbers @ Harvest: 24.0 Brix, 3.6 pH, 7.0 grams acidity Barrel Regimen: Burgundy 50% new, 50% 1 yr; 100% barrel fermented with full malolactic, sur-lie aging Bottling: June 2005

Reviews

95 points Robert Parker Jr's The Wine Advocate - December 2007

#Issue 174

A brilliant Chardonnay from this historic producer high in the Santa Cruz Mountains, the 2004 Chardonnay Estate offers a beautiful perfume of subtle pineapple, orange marmalade, buttered citrus, white currants, and wet rocks.  In the mouth, it reveals stunning purity, crisp acidity, and a drinkabiltiy window of 7-10 years.  It is very rich, but surprisingly light on its feet.

94 points Wine Spectator  - March 2008

#13 Top 100 Wines of 2008-December 2008

Ultraripe, rich and opulent, yet maintains a sense of balance and proportion, with layers of honey, fig, melon and a hing of marshmallow, ending with a full bodies aftertaste and a hint of minerality. Drink now through 2012.

93 points Wine Enthusiast Magazine - July 2008

Mount Eden’s Estate Chardonnay typically starts out life as a tight, nervous wine.  It’s marked by acidity and minerals, and you don’t want o drink it too cold.  The ’04 is a lovely young wine, rich and dramatically complex, with layers of pineapples,  Meyer lemons, limes wet stone, creamy yeast and smoky oak, like an important Chablis,  Brilliant now, it should develop additional bottle nuances over the next six years.—S.H.

90 points Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar - November/December 2007

Smoky Pear and baked apple aromas are underscored by subtle minerals and baking spices, with a suave anise quality adding complexity.  Open-knit pit fruit and melon flavors coat the palate and turn a touch warm on the finish.  Picks up a subtle tanginess on the finish, leaving suave wet stone and succulent herb flavors behind