“Wine is sunlight held together by water.” …. Galileo
Galilei
If
you love wine, if you’re passionate about it, read about it, want to know how
it’s made and more, and if you have lived long enough to have tasted many
bottles, there will be moments in memory that occasionally flash forward to you
today. One such, for me, was a 1947 port
my sweetie gave me as a birthday gift.
Matured in wood 50 years before bottling, it was spiritually
healing. Another came along with another
birthday as my brother gifted me with a single-vintage port from my birth
year. There were tastings and meetings
with wine makers that still bring a smile of fond recognition. But for the wines themselves, such
experiences are rare by definition and, therefore, very special.
The
most recent such was my experience with a Mount Eden Vineyards Pinot Noir (2010). As the label mentions, grapes are grown,
fermented and estate bottled 2000 feet above the floor of the Santa Clara
Valley on a peak of the Chaine d’Or in the Santa Cruz Mountains (an AVA in
California).
And
the vines themselves are among the oldest in California, brought to California
and propagated by French winemaker Paul Masson. Martin Ray, of Mount Eden,
planted them in 1945. Masson was friends with the family of Louis Latour
(Burgundy) and it’s likely the selection came from the family’s finest
vineyards and were brought to California by Masson in the 1880’s.
Moving
ahead, fermentation at Mount Eden incorporates a large percentage of whole
cluster, including stems. The vines themselves benefit from vertical shoot
positioning, keeping the canopy well aerated and shade free as possible, maximizing
sun exposure and providing circulation between leaves (particularly important
for thin-skinned pinot noir). Already “old vines”, they are even thinned, as
necessary, to providing for yields not exceeding two tons per acre; typically
one to one to one-and-a half tons per acre.
 |
| Coq-Au-Vin, purple carrots. Simple. Elegant and so Perfectly Complimented by the Wine |
All
wine begins in the vineyard and the vineyard here produces excellent grapes. But what you do with those grapes is the
partner to how they are grown. Whole
cluster fermentation … classic. Using natural yeasts, fermenting in small,
open-top fermenters ten to fourteen days, with hand punch downs. Wine is
matured in 75% new French oak (25% one year old wood) then aged 18 months. Not
filtered. Not fined. This is as close to Burgundy as California can get without
a major shift in our earth’s tectonic plates. (Not something anyone in
California wants to hear).
The
wine is complex and balanced from first sniff to last taste. Dark fruit. Deep, rich,
mashed black plum on the nose, black cherry, black pepper and sandalwood carry
into the taste. The mouthfeel is rich. Tannins are soft but develop nicely in a
warm finish that seems to never end.
If
you can discipline yourself and refrain from drinking this wine too quickly,
magic begins in the glass. Air opens the wine to whispered notes of strawberry,
raspberry, earth and blueberry. Still dominant with black fruit, this balanced menage continues to promote sandalwood
complexity and black fruit but now adding red notes.
I
had been making Coq-au-Vin and knew I wanted a Pinot Noir. Mount Eden’s was
highly rated, but new to me. My only regret is that I purchased only one bottle
as a sample. From its original price of $55, it now is available on line for
$125. Fortunately, the 2011 vintage is
still on the shelves. With an average score of 93.5 from Wine & Spirits
Magazine, Vinous, Tanzer and Wine Advocate, this vintage too is certain to
impress. History speaks very well of
Mount Eden: Its 2009 vintage earned an average score of 92.67.
But,
as noted, these wines are classic and made for aging. I’ll be buying several of the 2011 and
cellaring them in the good faith I’ll be here to enjoy them. As for the 2010,
I’ll be having another birthday soon. Maybe I should drop some hints.
Cheers!
……………….
Jim
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TECH
SPECS FOR THE 2010 VINTAGE
Yield: 1.8 tons per acre
Harvest: SEPT 1-26th
Brix
(at Harvest) 23.5
pH: 3.45
Acidity: 8.5g
Alc: 13.5%
Bottled: Sept. 2011 (804 Cases)
Mount
Eden Vineyards
22020
Mt Eden Rd
Saratoga
CA 95070
PH:
(408) 867-5832
email:
not available
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