Vintage Chart

~#9 Top 100 Wines of 2016~ December, 2016

Editors Choice

While this wine’s Mount Eden sister bottling may better stand the test of time, the Domaine Eden is what most people will most like to drink right now, and it’s cheaper too. Aromas of dried violets, uncrushed boysenberries and pencil lead make for an ethereal nose that seems to hold secrets one must uncover. Precise tannins on the palate offer floral yet savory flavors of black sesame, nori, violet and mulberry. It’s mellow yet mysterious.

Features a lively cherry plum fruitiness with zesty acidity, floral scents and fine-grain tannins, making for an easy to drink and pleasantly complex effort. Drink now. –JL

Issue #227

Sporting a deeper ruby color, the 2013 Pinot Noir bottled under the Domaine Eden label has a terrific bouquet of black currants, dried spices, forest floor and dried herb/hay. Rich, nicely textured, balanced and polished on the palate, with a great texture, drink this charming, outstanding, polished and layers beauty over the coming 5-7 years. It’s another terrific value from the estate.

Issue #64

In the cooler 2013 vintage, the Domaine Eden Pinot Noir is a full point lower in octane than the riper 2012. The wine is beautifully light cherry in color and offers up a fine aromatic constellation of cherries, a touch of beetroot, gentle spice tones, a lovely base of soil, delicate notes of cocoa powder and roses and just a whisper of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is medium-full, bright and intensely flavored, with a nice touch of sappiness at the core, a properly primary personality, just a bit of ripe tannin and lovely focus and grip on the tangy and long finish. This is really lovely juice, and though it is made to be approachable out of the blocks, I would really be inclined to tuck it away in the cellar for at least a couple of years and really let its secondary layers of complexity emerge. A great bargain! 2018-2035+.

The 2013 Pinot Noir is an attractive wine to drink now and over the next few years. Freshly cut flowers, mint, sweet red cherries and hard candies give the 2013 its lifted, gracious personality. The inclusion of 10% whole clusters adds to the wine’s aromatic presence and overall brightness.