Mount Eden Estate
Mount Eden’s estate vineyards began to be developed in 1945 by the legendary vintner Martin Ray on a rugged mountaintop in the Santa Cruz Mountains. Today, the site consists of 40 acres of low-yielding Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc vines. The Chardonnay and Pinot Noir were propagated from selections brought to California by French winemaker Paul Masson, while the Cabernet Sauvignon came from Emmett Rixford’s historic La Questa Vineyard in Woodside, California. Mount Eden is considered to have the longest lineage of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in North America.
Planted in infertile Franciscan shale, the vineyards are 15 miles from the Pacific Ocean and enjoy a cool, but sunny climate above the fog line. Harvest normally begins in the first weeks of September and finishes around the end of October, occasionally going into early November. The combination of a long growing season and naturally low yields allows slow, steady maturation of the grapes and the concomitant intensification of their flavors. This process is enhanced by vertically training the vines to maximize the exposure of the grape clusters to sunlight and by thinning the crop, when necessary, to ensure yields do not exceed two tons per acre.
Mount Eden Estate
Chardonnay
In the late 1940s and early 1960s, Martin Ray planted six acres of Chardonnay vines propagated from a Burgundian selection grown in the original Paul Masson vineyard. 20 acres of Estate Chardonnay are now farmed at Mount Eden from which 1,200 to 2,000 cases per year are produced. Yields average one to two tons per acre, far below the average for Chardonnay in California.
The Estate Chardonnay grapes are harvested when slightly yellow to yellow-green and are pressed without crushing. All of the juice is barrel-fermented in new and one-year-old French Burgundy barrels, where the wine undergoes full malolactic fermentation and is ages on the lees for ten months before being lightly filtered prior to bottling. The Chardonnay is then cellared for two years before being released for sale.
The full-bodied Estate Chardonnay displays fine underlying acidity and a long finish. Hints of cardamom, anise and hazelnut add interest to the core lemon, mineral flavors. Of all Mount Eden’s estate-grown wines, the Chardonnay is most in need of further bottle aging at release, requiring an additional two to four years to fully reveal its true character. Many vintages are still fresh and enjoyable after fifteen years, explaining why Mount Eden Estate Chardonnay is considered one of California’s longest-lived white wines.
Mount Eden Estate
Reserve Chardonnay
The vines for the Reserve program are the same as the ones producing Mount Eden’s Estate Bottled Chardonnay.
The difference in making the Reserve Chardonnay and the Estate Chardonnay lies solely in a curious practice sometimes used in the making of renowned white Burgundies.
Chardonnay that has been aged for ten months in barrel is then put it into a stainless steel tank with all the gross lees where it remains for an additional ten months. During that time, all of the sediments (mainly yeast lees) are magically absorbed into the wine, similar to the process of making Champagne. The Reserve Chardonnay is composed of eleven barrels of Estate Chardonnay that completes this process.
In the glass the difference is subtle but noticeable between the Estate and the Reserve. The Reserve has more earth, mineral notes, and texture coming from the lee influence. The Estate has more bright fruit. Aging potential is still unknown since the Reserve has only been made since 2007 but so far it seems to be aging more slowly than the Estate bottling.
Mount Eden Estate
Pinot Noir
Martin Ray planted Pinot Noir at Mount Eden in 1945. The budwood came from Paul Masson’s original vineyard near Mount Eden. Because Masson was a good friend of the Louis Latour family of Burgundy, it is likely the selection came from one of Latour’s finest vineyards and was brought by Masson to California during the 1880s. The faith Ray demonstrated in this difficult red wine variety, at a time when America had little appreciation of fine wine, was remarkable. Today, Pinot Noir vines occupy seven acres of the estate vineyard and typically yield a meager one to one-and-a-half tons per acre.
Pinot Noir is the first variety harvested at Mount Eden, kicking off the vintage season. Using natural yeasts, fermentation is conducted in small open-top fermentors and extends ten to fourteen days, with the must punched down by hand. The new wine is immediately put into 75% new and 25% one-year-old French Burgundy barrels. It matures for eighteen months before being bottle unfined and unfiltered. Nothing is added; nothing is taken away.
Due to the soils in the vineyard, the Estate Pinot Noirs’ elegant, transparent style is more Burgundian than Californian, emphasizing wild strawberry, earth, blueberry and dill varietal characters. Cellaring the wine from five to twelve years pays handsome rewards.
Mount Eden Estate
Cabernet Sauvignon
The heritage of Mount Eden Cabernet Sauvignon dates back to the 1890s, when the famed viticulturist Emmett Rixford of Woodside, California, obtained selected cuttings from Chateau Margaux in Bordeaux, France. Rixford planted his famous La Questa Vineyard with these selections, in the same proportions as found at Margaux.
In the late 1940s Martin Ray planted his first Cabernet vineyard with cuttings from the La Questa Vineyard. The present-day Estate Cabernet Sauvignon vines were planted in the early 1980s using cuttings taken from these vines. Yields are low, typically one to two tons per acre. Soils are very thin (1-12 inches), with a dominant base of Franciscan shale. The climate is cool, especially for Cabernet, and influenced by the vineyard’s altitude and its proximity to San Francisco bay and the Pacific Ocean. The vines are trellised in a modern fashion, which allows for a more uniform ripening. The vineyard also contains small blocks of Merlot and Cabernet Franc.
The Cabernet is fermented in small 1,000-gallon stainless steel tanks, with the must punched down manually and macerated for six to ten days after fermentation completes. The new wine is transferred into new Bordelaise chateau barrels where it finishes its malolactic fermentation. During the twenty-two months in the cellar, the wine is racked three to four times per year via air pressure. It is bottled unfined, unfiltered and aged two years prior to release
Mount Eden Estate Cabernet Sauvignon is a Bordeaux-style blend of approximately 75% Cabernet, 22% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc, although the cepage varies by vintage. This high mountain, cool coastal vineyard is an unusual site for California Cabernet Sauvignon, reflecting its refreshing acidity and moderate alcohol. Fine integrated tannins buttress characteristic flavors of red currant, blackberry and earth. Recommended cellaring is ten to fifteen years.
Mount Eden Estate
Old Vine Reserve Cabernet
Until 2000, five acres remained of the original Cabernet Sauvignon vines planted by Martin Ray in the 1950s. Yielding a scant one-quarter to one ton per acre, tending these vines was truly a labor of love. They were not trellised, somewhat wild in attitude and always the last grapes to be harvested in the fall.
Like the Estate Cabernet, the Old Vine Reserve was fermented in small 1,000-gallon stainless steel tanks, punched down manually and macerated for six to ten days after completion of fermentation. The new wine was transferred to new Bordelais chateau barrels where it finished malolactic fermentation. During its twenty-two months in the cellar, the wine was racked three to four times per year via air pressure, then bottled unfiltered and aged two years prior to release.
The Old Vine Reserve, 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, exudes classic Santa Cruz Mountain style with incomparable elegance and sauvage. The combination of old vines and minuscule yields produces concentrated aromas and flavors of red and black currant, licorice, violet and earth. Good natural acidity and moderate tannins give structure and length, ensuring the wine will develop in the bottle for many years. (The 2000 vintage was the last Old Vine Reserve produced.)
Domaine Eden
Domaine Eden is a nearby mountaintop wine estate purchased in 2007. Modeled after Mount Eden, it was founded and built by the late Tom Mudd in 1983, who initially planted the Mount Eden clonal selections of Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, which evolved to include Pinot Noir from various Dijon and California selections. This is the former home of Cinnabar Winery.
This property inspired a new wine brand, Domaine Eden, which focuses on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from this special site and Bordeaux varieties from Mount Eden’s larger home, the Santa Cruz Mountains.
Domaine Eden
Chardonnay
All of the Chardonnay is essentially estate grown at Mount Eden or at Domaine Eden. Prior to bottling the winemaking team tastes through all of the Chardonnay barrels and selects for different personalities. The Domaine Eden Chardonnay is highlighted by forward fruit, earlier drinkability and obvious hedonism and is usually composed of 60% Mount Eden and 40% Domaine Eden fruit but it varies slightly by vintage.
To preserve the terrior of these special sights the same principles apply: fermentation in Burgundy barrels (50% new), use of natural yeasts, malolactic fermentation and aging sur-lie for nine months.
As one would expect, this Chardonnay exhibits classic Mount Eden Burgundian style with detailed aromas and flavors of citrus, anise, dill and earth. More open in personality than the Estate at the same age, yet with all the length of the flagship.
Domaine Eden
Pinot Noir
This Pinot Noir is a mosaic of different selections and clones grown at Domaine Eden: Dijon clones 777, 667 and 828 reside alongside the historic California selections Mount Eden, Calera and Swan. Each parcel is farmed to Mount Eden’s strict standards of sustainability, dry farming and low yields.
The same exacting methods employed for the Mount Eden Estate wines are used: natural indigenous fermentations – both primary and secondary, French Burgundy barrels, no fining, filtration or any other manipulation.
Although a mere mile away from Mount Eden as the crow flies, the terroir here is different and it shows. Medium ruby color, complex, earthy red fruit nose, the wine has a suave texture on the palate with richness and balancing elegance. This is a classic Pinot Noir reflective of its unique peak.
Domaine Eden
Cabernet Sauvignon
The Domaine Eden Cabernet program is a combination of Bordeaux varieties, mainly Cabernet Sauvignon from Mount Eden, Domaine Eden and three exquisite sites in Saratoga and Los Gatos. It is a true Bordeaux blend encompassing the top five Bordeaux grapes varieties: Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot with small additions of Petit Verdot and Malbec. The Mount Eden parameters of low yields, maximum maturity and cool climate viticulture are used to achieve balanced ripeness.
The lots are fermented separately using natural fermentations and French oak. Aging this wine to maturity for two years, no fining or filtration is conducted prior to bottling, just like the Estate regimen. The ultimate goal is a classic Santa Cruz Mountain Cabernet reflecting Domaine Eden’s mid-appellation region.
While the Estate is a singular voice, the Domaine is a chorus. Complex, given the five varieties in the cepage, this Cabernet has aromas of briary currant, sage, mint and sweet oak. Less tannins and acidity on the palate than is evident in the Estate, there is an earlier window of enjoyable drinking.
Edna Valley
The Edna Valley Appellation in San Luis Obispo County, along California’s Central Coast, is a growing region profoundly influence by its proximity to the Pacific Ocean. It has one of the longest growing seasons in the world; bud break typically occurs in February, with harvest in October. This slow ripening is especially favorable for the noble Chardonnay grape, which develops great nuances of flavor while retaining its elegant nature.
Edna Valley
Wolff Vineyard, Chardonnay
Jean-Pierre Wolff farms 55 acres of Chardonnay vines in the bucolic Edna Valley, outside the town of San Luis Obispo. Originally planted in 1976 by Edna Valley wine pioneer Andy Macgregor (Wolff purchased the property from Macgregor in 1999), the vineyard is the oldest in the Edna Valley. Mount Eden has made Chardonnay from this vineyard since 1985. These mature vines typically yield two to four tons per acre.
The winemaking process is essentially the same as with Mount Eden’s Estate Chardonnay. After harvest, the fruit is trucked to our winery in the Santa Cruz Mountains. It is pressed without crushing and entirely barrel-fermented in a mix of new, two and three-year-old French Burgundy barrels. Undergoing full malolactic fermentation, the wine is aged eight months in barrel until bottling.
Full, lush tropical fruit dominates this wine’s aromas and flavors. Complex and heady on the palate, it is a premier example of Central Coast Chardonnay.