REVIEWS:
TASTING NOTES:
Release Date: Fall 2025
The translucent and focused character of our Estate Chardonnay clearly expresses the unique terroir of Mount Eden. Shallow Franciscan Shale soils and a mountaintop climate produce wines of clarity and depth. Traditional Burgundian winemaking techniques enhance the sense of place. This wine is 100% fermented in French Burgundy barrels, undergoes full malolactic fermentation, and is aged sur lie for 10 months before being bottled through a light polishing filter.
At first glance, the Estate Chardonnay exhibits a luminous pale gold color. The nose opens with delicate notes of vanilla and lightly toasted butter, complemented by hints of waxed walnut and a citrus twist. Medium-bodied, with subtle lemon notes that linger, this wine has a rich presence from beginning to end. The finish is long, delicately rich, and refreshingly clean.
Enjoy now for its vibrancy, or cellar it and expect peak expression between 5 and 15 years, with graceful evolution extending up to 25 years.
~Austin Chin, Winemaker
2022 featured a mild winter and a relatively hot summer. We received a total of 26 inches of rain, which, according to our founder Martin Ray, is the ideal amount for wine quality, although it is below our historical average of 35 inches. After the historic drought of 2021, the yields for our Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs were small but balanced. The results produced concentrated, fruit-driven wines that are both delicious and elegant.
~Reid Patterson, GM
TECH NOTES:
- Rain Total in 2022: 26 inches
- Yield: 1.99 tons per acre
- Harvest Dates: August 19th-24th, hand-harvested
- Numbers @ Harvest: 23.5° Brix, 3.30 pH,7.0 grams acidity
- Fermentation: 100% natural primary and secondary (malolactic) barrel fermentation
- Barrel: 100% barrel aged in new and one-year-old French Oak
- Aging: 10 months in barrel, sur-lie;
- Bottling: August 2023
- Alcohol: 14%
- Cases Produced: 1,248 cases- 750ml, 35 cases- 1500ml
