Mount Eden, Chardonnay, Santa Cruz Mountain   

Winemaker Notes

Very floral in the nose with scents of honeysuckle and gardenia flowers, this wine is balanced and finesseful on the palate with our usual firm acidity. The finish is long, subtle, and mineral-laced.

Winemakers notes at Release:

Fall 2020

The Reserve program began with the 2007 vintage, after an enlightening trip to Burgundy. 2016 will be our eighth Reserve Chardonnay bottling. The track record for aging with these wines has been incredible, much like our Estate Chardonnay—even better in fact. We create this wine by selecting eleven barrels from the vintage, which has been aging on the lees in French oak for ten months.

The wine and lees are stirred then transferred to a stainless steel tank. The Reserve then sits untouched for another twelve months. During this time, the lees are absorbed into the wine and disappear. This Chardonnay is bottled after a full 22-months in the cellar. Very complex on the nose, with aromas of mint, toast and lilac, this rich yet elegant wine has flavors on the palate of lemon and hazelnut with marzipan lingering in the lengthy aftertaste.

Expect a long life with proper cellaring. Main Points for

Presentation:

•Burgundian Style

•Longest Estate production in North America

•Good structure, acid for aging—

•Ages on the lees—This gives the wine more terroir character

•Lightly filtered before bottling—for clarity

•20 acres of Chardonnay farmed at Mount Eden; Mount Eden clone