Domaine Eden 2016/2017 Chardonnay 750ml

"I want this to be an appellation wine," Jeffrey Patterson says. "This is a blend of all the Chardonnay we grow at Domaine Eden plus some declassified fruit from our Mount Eden estate, about 35% this vintage." The 2016 Chardonnay Estate features aromas of acacia, honeyed apples, wet stone, white peach and lemon pith with notions of cheese rind and straw. Medium-bodied, it's very lively in the mouth with savory fruits, juicy acidity and a long, energetic and lightly textured finish.

Score: 92 points -- Erin Brooks, The Wine Advocate, 2020

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The 2017 Chardonnay is absolutely gorgeous. Apricot, tangerine oil, butter and light tropical accents give the 2017 striking exotic character that match its rich oily personality so well. This is a decidedly extroverted wine from Domaine Eden, but it all works so well. There is a feeling of immediacy and allure that makes the 2017 impossible to resist. The Domaine Eden Chardonnay is a blend of declassified barrels (64%) and lots from the Domaine Eden property itself (36%), aged in 2-5 year old wood.

Score: 92 points -- Antonio Galloni, Vinous, 2020

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Mount Eden Vineyards is a small historic wine estate perched at 2,000 feet overlooking Silicon Valley, in the Santa Cruz Mountain Appellation, about 50 miles south of San Francisco. Founded in 1945 by Martin Ray, it is recognized as one of the original "boutique" California winery properties, focusing on small lots of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Sauvignon. Mount Eden's lineage of estate-bottled Chardonnay and Pinot Noir is the longest in California. Planted in austere, infertile Franciscan shale on a cool, exposed mountaintop, these low-yielding estate vineyards have consistently produced world-class wines for over a half-century. In 2007 Mount Eden acquired an additional 55 Acre wine estate in the Saratoga foothills, which was christened Domaine Eden. Mount Eden Vineyards also produces non-estate Chardonnays from the central coast, primarily Edna Valley. Since 1981 Jeffrey Patterson has guided the winemaking and grape growing at Mount Eden. His emphasis is on wine growing rather than winemaking; an obsession with gentleness and naturalness in the handling of the grapes and wines is his ongoing passion.