Tech Notes
Yield: 1.2 tons per acre
Harvest: August 27th-September 1st
Numbers @ Harvest: 22.9° Brix, 3.30 pH, 7.7 grams acidity
Barrel Regimen: French Oak 65% new, 35% 1 year; 100% Barrel Fermented; 100% Malolactic; aged 10 months on the sur-lie
Bottling: July 2019
Alcohol: 13.5%
Tasting Notes
Release Date: Fall 2021
One can never argue over the fickleness of Mother Nature.
After abundant rain for our 2017 vintage, 2018 was again a drought year in the Santa Cruz Mountains. But, what is a drought truly? When we say “drought,” we mean rain below our seasonal average: typically, anything less than 20 inches. (Our average is 36 inches). When California declares a drought, it is the culmination of multiple years of low rain totals. At Mount Eden, we know our land and vines and can see droughts coming on even before anyone else realizes it. Here rain is life.
In 2018 we had luck with a long gentle growing season. As a result, the harvest was early, and our goal was to pick as quickly as possible to preserve the crucial acidity that makes our Estate Chardonnay spectacular.
Youthful in the nose, this Chardonnay has nuances of gardenia blossom, lime zest, and hazelnut. On the palate, there is beautiful restraint with a persistence of lemon, oak, and an intriguing minerality. Old World in style, this vintage is poised to age for twenty years with good cellaring.
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