Mount Eden Vineyards

Tasting Notes

Release Date: Spring 2012

2010 was a cool year overall in Northern California. The weather allowed us to harvest a moderate crop at a leisurely pace, a full month later than normal. The tricky Pinot Noir does well when it ripens slowly under late September skies. In short, this is a great Pinot Noir vintage.

With the blessed coolness, each block was fermented and barrel-aged separately, allowing us to learn more about this beautiful property. We farm a wide variety of selections including 828, Calera, Mount Eden, Swan, 667 and 777 from the Pinot vineyards. All of the fermentations were natural, meaning no added yeast or malolactic cultures. The wine ages in French barrels for twelve months and is bottled without any fining for filtration. This is high risk/ high reward winemaking.

Precise aromas of black raspberry, black cherry and pomegranate combine with a racy texture, generous acidity and flavors of blueberry and earth. If you like Pinot Noir with flavor and backbone, this is your style.

I am very proud of this offering and it shows me the incredible potential of our new site.

Tech Notes

Yield: 1.7 tons per acre

Harvest: September 21st-27th

Numbers @ Harvest: 23.9° Brix, 3.30 pH, 8.1 grams acidity

Barrel Regimen: French Burgundy-1/2 new; aged 12 months in barrel

Bottling: September 2011; no fining or filtration

Alcohol: 13.5%

93 points Robert Parker Jr's The Wine Advocate - August 2012

Issue #202

A fabulous introduction to the Domaine/Mount Eden Pinots, the 2010 Pinot Noir is flat-out beautiful in the way it captures the essence of the Santa Cruz Mountains and the house style. Sweet dark cherries, flowers, mint and herbs caress the palate. There is a purity of fruit that is stunning in its beauty. Partial use of whole clusters (20%) gives the wine much of its fragrance, but ultimately the Domaine Eden bottling is all about class. At $35 it represents one of the very finest buys in Pinot Noir from anywhere, including the hallowed vineyards of Burgundy. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2020.

88 points Wine Enthusiast Magazine - December 2012

Here’s a nice, dry Pinot from Mount Eden Vineyards ideal for drinking now. It’s gentle in the mouth, with soft tannins and a boost of acidity to highlight the raspberry and cola flavors. — S.H.