Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A juicy, spice-filled Pinot Noir that has a lot of charm, the 2012 Pinot Noir Domaine Eden reveals a medium ruby color to go with upfront notes of mulled cherries, charred herbs and toasted spice. Medium-bodied, supple, nicely textured and with plenty of fruit, it's a juicy, nicely made effort to drink over the coming 5-6 years.
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Wine Enthusiast
Sour cranberry juice aromas mix with wet slate, strawberry soda, black olives and charred beets on this bottling from historic Mount Eden’s more affordable series. It’s crisp and clean once sipped, with ripe cranberry fruit picking up oregano and marjoram herbs and a nice tartness on the back end.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
Understanding the many faces of Pinot Noir is one of a wine taster's greatest challenges. The 2013 Domaine Eden starts out with a potpourri of nuances—vivid red fruits, dried leather and savory earth. The wine's multi-complex style makes it an excellent choice with Moroccan lamb stew—melding with cinnamon, ginger, and allspice. Drinks well now. (Tasted: August 22, 2015, San Francisco, CA)
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
A rugged and topographically diverse cool-climate appellation with a rich history, the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA stretches from Half Moon Bay, just south of San Francisco, to the northern border of Monterey County. Elevations range from 800 feet to upwards of 3,000 and microclimates vary substantially depending on which side of the mountains the vineyards lie; cool ocean winds and fog play an important role here. This can be a challenging region in which to grow grapes, but it is well worth the effort. Santa Cruz Mountains wines are noted for balanced acidity levels, often showing great aging potential. Wine has been made here since the 1800s, most notably from the legendary Ridge Vineyards, whose Monte Bello vineyard garners international admiration.
Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon are the stars of this region, while Merlot and Zinfandel also perform quite well. Organic and sustainable vineyard practices are becoming increasingly common.