2001 Mount Eden Estate Chardonnay

Dark golden color, this Santa Cruz Chard continues to amaze. The nose was a touch more reticent than the prior bottle, but wow does the palate deliver Burgundian goodness. Intense notes of minerals, wet stones, lime, yellow citrus fruits and a floral component fan out and coat the palate, with amazing length. This is strikingly similar to a 1998 Louis Jadot Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos de la Garenne Domaine du Duc de Magenta. An out and out steal at $34.

Hi Peter,

Hey, I'm willing to let you try to convince me on this one. I've never tried their Chards, I don't think. Just a couple of old (e.g. 1985) and very young (e.g. 2003) Pinots and a terrible older brett-infested Cabernet (1987). Your note is intriguing, though. Thanks!

Michael

Hi Guys,
You'll never cease to be amazed at this wine.
For some reason the Wine Spectator (OK I'm washing my mouth out now) totally ignored Mount Eden for many years - probably until its own Auction column couldn't ignore the fact that the older Chards were selling consistently well and holding their prices. I do recall the winemaker telling me that he never, ever sent them free samples! That was at the winery when we were treated to a Chardonnay tasting from different sites on the mountain (still the most educational tasting my wife ever recalls having).
I'm still working my way through the 83 and 87 Santa Cruz Mtn chards from Mount Eden. Did try a bottle of the 2001 recently to ensure standards were still being maintained (still tightly wound). I'd compare them more to Corton than anything else.
And of course, from the 'next mountain over' the Ridge Chard (2005) was #2 on the WS wines of the year list. Much more up front than the Mount Eden but still packed with both fruit and minerals.
Never understood why the Santa Cruz Mtn Chards were overlooked - and MUCH cheaper than the Sonoma (and even Napa) competitors.

Santa Cruz is definitely my favorite region in California right now, a lot of exciting stuff coming from both the old guard (Ridge, Mount Eden, etc.) and the new guard (Varner, Rhys, etc.).

The 2001 Mount Eden still has plenty of room left to run, I think their pinot and cab are also amazing values.

Have you had a chance to try the 2003 Mount Eden Estate Chard? I'm curious to see how it's drinking out of the gate.

Haven't tried the 2003 Mount Eden yet. But did buy a few bottles.

Don't know if I had the 2000 or the 2001, but it was absolutely stellar... great note.. and great wine..

For some reason the Wine Spectator ... totally ignored Mount Eden for many years - probably until its own Auction column couldn't ignore the fact ... I do recall the winemaker telling me that he never, ever sent them free samples!

Jeff P wouldn't be the only respected longtime California winemaker, by any means, to chuckle privately over the behavior of modern wine publications that came into existence long after his firm already was selling everything it could make to people who appreciated the wines!

(Probably most of you know that Mount Eden is the modern incarnation of the Martin Ray winery -- the original name was sold to an independent firm -- Martin Ray was the great pioneer of Burgundian varietals in the region and occupies space in most serious books about California wine history.)

I wonder if any of the vines that go into what is the Estate Chardonnay today were original plantings from the Martin Ray days, or would phylloxera have made that impossible?

My guess is that they are the original 'clone' i.e. may be cuttings from original - rather than the 'Davis' clones that are commonly planted in California, But I don't know how many (if any) survive from the Martin Ray days.
Certainly the pinot noir is a different clone (the Wente IIRC) from those planted elsewhere in California since the 80's. I recall, (from an earlier investigation), that the same (pinot) clone was used in the Sanford & Benedict vineyard. And it shows very different characteristics from most Californian pinots I've tried. Of course, which style one prefers is a matter of personal taste.

I concur. Older Mount Eden Estate Chards are to my palate are very similar to Montrachets. I Have a 2001 pulled to drink. My own preference is to drink them younger. I am also a large fan of their Estate Cabernet.
I can't speak for the older ones since I started with their 94 vintage. For the money I find them hard to match. To my palate both the Estate Chardonnay and Cabernet taste "like 10-20 dollars more". Of course I am just a simple old jack pine savage from Minnesota