Winemaker Notes
The soft yellow color here has a youthful chartreuse hue that is very characteristic of this particular vineyard. Aromas of toasted biscuit, honeysuckle, sea spray and earthy meyer lemon are layered and complex. Multidimensional flavors span across D'Anjou pear, vanilla pod, white peach, roasted hazelnut, and delicate lemon curd. Slight background notes of tart custard are framed by a medium body with a taut, structured acidity. Finishes long, with notes of fresh salted cream and an ever-so-slight hint of oak.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Clean lines of white melon, nectarine and lemon verbena make for a sharp, focused and unique nose on this bottling. Grapefruit zest enlivens the tip of the sip, as warmer pine nut, melon and honeysuckle flavors slided into a citrusspiked popcorn finish.
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Wine & Spirits
Round and rich, this wine’s assertive lees impression provides focus for its ripeness. It’s smoky and elegant, the leesy savor grounding sumptuous baked-pineapple flavors, with lemony acidity giving it lift and energy.
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Wine Spectator
Distinctive, with notes of apple blossoms, white tea and tangy green apple candy to complement the core of apricot, white peach and citrus flavors. Delivers details of honeycomb and sea salt minerality that sing on the fresh, crisp, mouthwatering finish. Drink now. 695 cases made.
Named one of Wine & Spirits Magazines Top 100 Wineries of 2023
In the careful hands of early pioneers when California was still under Mexico’s flag, Eden Rift is one of the oldest continually operating estates in the US and is home to some of the earliest New World Pinot Noir plantings in 1861. The property’s first vineyards were planted in 1849 by a Bordeaux wine merchant. As the estate came into new ownership, the wines produced swept national and international competitions. Since then, the estate has changed hands several times, at one point producing wines under the label Valliant, belonging to the internationally known Hiram Walker House.
Today, the current proprietor of the estate, Christian Pillsbury, lives in the Dickinson House, a residence on the property fenced in by original Zinfandel plantings from 1906. Drawn to purchase the estate because of a personal connection, Pillsbury sees himself as chaperone of a place deeply important to the lineage of California wine. Before purchasing, Christian and his team researched the property’s daily temperature rhythms, soil, wind patterns and macro and micro climates to find the winery’s main focus, which has come to be Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. In addition to wine, the Eden Rift Estate also houses a granite stone mill that produces certified organic olive oil and is open to neighboring wineries for use on their own olive oil production.
With Christian’s vision in toe, he teamed up with venerable winemaker, Cory Waller. Cory is no stranger to American Pinot Noir, having studied under Napa’s Tony Soter and Oregon’s Josh Bergstrom and Jim Prosser. He was also assistant winemaker at the iconic California winery, Calera. Cory is well suited to the uber local project. Born and raised nearby, he boasts local farmers, ranchers and fishermen as some of his closest friends. His winemaking style limits intervention while focusing in the vineyard on vine stress and low yields. Since Christian’s purchase, Eden Rift has received attention from both local and National publications in its first two vintages.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
Part of the larger Central Coast AVA, the valley was historically an important source of grapes for Almaden Vineyards before it was acquired by Constellation Brands in the 1980s. At 1,100 feet, the San Andreas Fault divides the valley so that one side is granite and sandstone, and the other is granite and limestone. Its position along the San Andreas fault makes the region well suited for excellent Central Coast wine production. Top varietals include Zinfandel, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Riesling, and rose.