Winemaker Notes
2017 was an excellent growing season, long, moderate, and measured. For this Reserve, Mount Eden Vineyards selected fifteen exceptional barrels of the 2017 estate wine. This process is done just before our Estate Chardonnay is bottled. So, like the Estate Chardonnay, the Reserve sees 10-months of barrel age. These barrels are then stirred to release the fermentation sediments, and the wine (sediment and all) is transferred to a stainless steel tank. The wine rests in the tank for another 12-months. During this time, the sediments disappear into the wine. As one would expect, there is an added layer of complexity with this process. The aromas are similar to the 2017 Estate Chardonnay but with more minerality. The flavors remain fresh and engaging yet with more depth.
Professional Ratings
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Jeb Dunnuck
What I believe to be the current release, the 2017 Chardonnay Reserve is a barrel selection from the estate on the Santa Cruz Mountains. It has a deeper, medium gold hue as well as a reserved yet promising nose of almond paste, golden fruits, toasted bread, and baking spices. It’s rich, medium to full-bodied, concentrated, and balanced on the palate, with good acidity and the class to evolve nicely for another decade. However, there's no need to delay gratification either.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Chardonnay Reserve attains another level of focus and complexity from the Estate bottling. After aging for 10 months sur lie, 15 barrels were selected and racked with their lees into stainless tank for an additional 12 months. The results are, simply put, more of everything: intensity, length and vibrancy. The width, length and overall fidelity of the finish are where the most noticeable differences lie, instilling an already very solid Chardonnay with extra potential in the cellar.
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Wine Enthusiast
A denser shade of yellow in the glass, this bottling begins with aromas of dried pineapple, mango and white flowers on the nose. The palate is both tightly woven in texture and yet rich in flavor, with dried lemon and pear slices that remain clean and fresh into the finish.
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Wine Spectator
Crisp acidity supports fresh Gala apple and pear tart flavors in this well-structured version, which shows nutmeg and clove accents midpalate that linger into the rich, open-textured finish, with plenty of toasty notes.
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Wine & Spirits
After his Estate Chardonnay has been aging in barrels for ten months, Jeffrey Patterson moves a selection of 11 of those barrels into stainless steel tanks for another ten months of aging on the lees. The 2017 is less about freshness than complexity, a round, full-bodied chardonnay with heady notes of dried flowers and spice. Decant it for seared scallops.
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.
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.