| Region of production: | Santa Cruz Mountain AVA |
| Winery Location: | Saratoga |
| Year Established: | 1945 |
Vineyard Holdings
Santa Cruz Mountain AVA
- Mount Eden Vineyards: 16 ha (8 ha Chardonnay)
- Domaine Eden: 5 ha
Top Wines Produced & Inaugural Vintages
- Mount Eden Chardonnay: 1972
- Saratoga Cuvee: 2004 (no longer produced)
- Domaine Eden Chardonnay: 2009
- Mount Eden ‘Wolff Vineyard’ Chardonnay (Edna Valley AVA): 1984
Average Total Production
- 300,000 bottles
- 14,400 -24,000 bottles Mount Eden Chardonnay
- 14,400 -36,000 bottles cases Domaine Eden Chardonnay
- 60,000 -96,000 bottles cases Wolff Vineyard Chardonnay
Summary
Mount Eden Vineyards has the longest history of estate bottled Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in North America. Founder Martin Ray purchased mountaintop land next to the original Paul Masson Champagne Companyvineyard La Crestain 1943. Original plantings of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay were planted 2000 feet above sea level with material sourced from the Masson vineyard. Ray made wine under his own name until 1972 when the property was reclaimed by investors and renamed Mount Eden Vineyards. Richard “Dick” Graff of Chalone was hired as consultant and continued to define the style of wines made under a number of winemakers through the 1970s, including Merry Edwards. Current winemaker Jeffery Patterson was hired in 1981 as an assistant and became head winemaker in 1983.
The profile of the flagship Mount Eden Estate Chardonnay changed in 2004 when it was decided that only the more “fruit-forward” lots would go into the second label Domaine Eden (formerly Saratoga Cuvee). Mount Eden purchased 55 additional acres and a winery in the Saratoga foothills in 2007 (formerly Cinnabar Wine Estate), where they produce wine under their Domain Eden label. Non-estate Chardonnay is also produced from the vineyard Wollf Vineyard in the Edna Valley.
Style & Vinification Techniques
Chardonnay fruit comes from vineyards planted from cuttings sourced from original plantings, so called Mount Eden Clone. There is no pumping in the winery, and fermentation starts from indigenous yeasts in an equal combination of new and 1-year-old used barrels. The wine undergoes full malolactic fermentation and spends 10 months aging on the lees with a light filtration before bottling. Mount Eden wines are always cellared two years before release. Domaine Eden Chardonnay is typically a 60/40 blend of Mount Eden and Domaine Eden fruit and spends less time on the lees. The Mount Eden Wolff Vineyard Chardonnay undergoes élevage in equal parts French and American oak barrels with only half of the wine going through malolactic fermentation.
Producer Website: Mount Eden