ESTATE PINOT NOIR 2015
MOUNT EDEN VINEYARDS

“Mount Eden is another of the historic, reference-point wineries in California. Proprietor Jeffrey Patterson crafts compelling Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs from his vineyards in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The Mount Eden wines are distinguished for their unique personalities and ability to age gracefully for decades ... The Mount Eden Pinots are made with a high percentage of whole clusters and need several years in bottle to harmonise ... The entry-level Domaine Eden range is a great place to start, especially for those on a tight budget.' ”

“The 2013 Pinot Noir Estate is one of the stars from the appellation, and the vintage. Offering fabulous notes of black cherries, currants, crushed rocks and sous bois, this beauty hits the palate with medium to full-bodied richness, building tannin and a killer finish. This is sensational Pinot Noir that can be enjoyed today, or cellared for a decade or more.”

“Mount Eden's 2013 Pinot Noir is going to need at least a few years to come into its own. Dense and powerful, yet also very tightly wound, the 2013 is in no mood to show all of its cards. Still, the intensity of the vintage is impossible to miss. The 35% whole clusters are nearly buried by the sheer intensity of the fruit. This ample, large-scaled Pinot will reward those who wait. I will not be surprised if the 2013 is even better in another few years, as it holds considerable promise. ”

“This wine is wound extremely tight, but opens like a lotus with decanting or overnight patience. Aromas of rose buds, black-raspberry extract, wet clay and dried purple flowers show on the nose, bolstered by the slightest smoky kiss of oak. Savory flavors of roasted black-plum skins and elderberry meet with soy, graphite and loam on the palate, which will gain amazing tertiary flavors with time. Drink 2018–2028.”

“The 2014 Pinot Noir is a pliant, deep and expressive wine. Sweet red cherry, rose petal, mint and wild flowers gradually reveal themselves, but the wine needs a few years in bottle to shed some of its baby fat and for the tannins to soften. In this vintage, Mount Eden's Pinot Noir is a wine of real gravitas and power, with perhaps a bit less of the immediate charm other recent vintages have shown.”