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Mount Eden Chardonnay Estate 2011

Mount Eden Estate 2010 Chardonnay, Santa Cruz | 14.2% | 100% barrel fermented in French oak and having underwent 100% malolactic fermentation, this still has verve and dynamism | Mount Eden vines are all direct descendants of clonal cuttings from Louis Latour dry farmed in Franciscan shale according to their sustainable methods. Creamy verve, a nervy souplesse flexibility and a crystalline orchard fruit from apples and pears to quince –really a pleasure and especially engaging at this stage in its life.
Wine review by Nicholas Livingston, Friday, February 14, 2014 (Fruit)

Mount Eden Vineyards Chardonnay, Santa Cruz Mountains, 2010: Oh .... my. Oh my. Oh my. So before I go off about how good this wine is, let's talk about what a great Chardonnay should be. Chardonnay has an amazing ability to range from Chablis-like (minerally to the extreme, lime fruits, brightness) to the fullest bodied and largest textured dry white on the planet (the most extreme of California Chardonnays). It also has the ability to make flat and forgettable wine, but also the power to make something extraordinary. What is rarest of all, though, and honestly only 1% of the world's Chards fall into this category, is a perfectly tightrope balanced and immensely complex wine that shape-shifts with every sip. No onto this wine: possibly one of the greatest Chardonnays made in California, with far more in common with the great wines of Puligny-Montrachet, Burgundy, than anywhere else. Lemon drops, lychee, olives, cumin, and ripe apples are apparent in the glass on the first whiff. As you return from one sip to the next, more complexity joins in, like an orchestra building to a thunderous roar. The palate is seamless and energized, with acidity framing the richness of the wine like few others are capable of. Sold yet? How about this: the finish goes for a solid 60 seconds. Few California Chardonnays (Calera comes to mind as a possibility) can touch this. Thank you, Mount Eden.
- Note by Jason Kallsen, September 2013

Expert Review

91 Points - Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine, May 2014
"Mount Eden hits the marks smartly in 2010 with this very deep, carefully-composed Chardonnay. It is concentrated and quite rich, yet it is exceptionally well-structured and still seems on the youthful side. It has great fruity presence but goes well beyond simple fruitiness in its reach with neatly juxtaposed elements of minerals, dusty soil, freshly baked bread and cautious oak spice as adjuncts to its ripe-apple motif. It is approaching its fourth birthday with lots in reserve, and it has the balance and serious substance of a wine that will improve for another half-decade or more."

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