Domaine Eden Chardonnay 2015
-
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Wong
Wilfred -
Enthusiast
Wine -
Parker
Robert
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Lovely perfume of lemon, hazelnut, and vanilla, this Chardonnay gives way to a powerful palate with all-important minerality. The mountain terroir is especially evident in the lingering finish. This small-yield vintage is a good candidate for the cellar so expect a peak in 2022 and beyond.
Professional Ratings
-
Jeb Dunnuck
I always love this Chardonnay from winemaker Jeffrey Patterson. The 2015 Chardonnay Santa Cruz Mountains comes from an estate just south of Mount Eden that was purchased by Jeffrey in 2007. This wine is always a mix of both estates (Domaine Eden and Mount Eden) and also gets a touch of purchased fruit. The 2015 has wonderful freshness and purity, with vibrant white flowers and caramelized citrus, medium body, lots of salinity, and a pure, clean, age-worthy style. It can be drunk any time over the coming decade or more.
-
Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2015 Domaine Eden Chardonnay is an excellent value from the Santa Cruz Mountains. TASTING NOTES: This wine is rich, balanced, and long. Its aromas and flavors of stone fruit and earth stay long in the finish. Pair it with boiled lobsters in a cream sauce. (Tasted: August 19, 2019, San Francisco, CA)
-
Wine Enthusiast
Like its bigger Mount Eden sister, this more affordable, usually more immediately accessible bottling needs time to open up. With patience, aromas of honeysuckle, oak and nuts provide a savory impression. The palate combines grapefruit pith and Meyer lemon rinds with savory salt and nuts.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2015 Chardonnay Estate from Domaine Eden is initially a touch reduced, opening with aeration to reveal pretty aromas of peach, yellow orchard fruit and toasted nuts. On the palate, it's glossy, medium to full-bodied and succulent, with bright acids and nicely grippy finish. Today, it's quite tight-knit, but with a year or two in bottle, it should really hit its stride.
Other Vintages
2020-
Spirits
Wine & -
Enthusiast
Wine
-
Wong
Wilfred
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Spirits
Wine & - Vinous
-
Dunnuck
Jeb
-
Parker
Robert -
Enthusiast
Wine
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Wong
Wilfred -
Spectator
Wine
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Dunnuck
Jeb -
Spectator
Wine
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Wong
Wilfred -
Parker
Robert
-
Enthusiast
Wine -
Parker
Robert -
Wong
Wilfred
Domaine Eden is a mountaintop wine estate purchased by Mount Eden Vineyards in 2007. Modeled after Mount Eden, it was founded and built by the late Tom Mudd in 1983, who initially planted the Mount Eden clonal selections of Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, which evolved to include Pinot Noir from various Dijon and California selections. This is the former home of Cinnabar Winery.
This property inspired a new wine brand, Domaine Eden, which focuses on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from this special site and Bordeaux varieties from Mount Eden’s larger home, the Santa Cruz Mountains.
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.