2013 Chardonnay Reserve

The 2013 Chardonnay Estate from Mount Eden is a youthful classic, wafting from the glass with a complex nose of preserved lemon, hazelnut cream and green pear, subtly framed by a discrete application of new oak. On the palate, it's full-bodied, satiny and textural, with excellent concentration and a long finish. The 2013 is more overtly structural and angular at this early stage than the suave 2014, but only time will tell which is ultimately superior. 95+ (WK)

The 2013 Chardonnay Reserve is a selection of the top 11 barrels made from the estate Chardonnay after spending 10 months in barrel. It then spent another 12 months, on lees, in stainless steel, and there’s a tiny 262 cases produced. It sports a vibrant gold color as well a rich bouquet of golden fruits, citrus, toasted bread, flowers and honeysuckle. It's beautifully concentrated, has plenty of texture, good acidity and a clean finish. I love its balance and purity, and it’s going benefit from short term cellaring and keep for two decades. Want to show your Burgundy loving friends how good California Chardonnay is? Let them try this wine. Winemaker Jeffrey Patterson makes a classic, old-school, age-worthy style of wine from his vineyard located on the east side of the Santa Cruz Mountains. These wines see longer time in barrel than most, hence these are mostly 2014s and 2013s. This is unquestionably one of the benchmark estates for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in California.

Translucent and lifted, the 2013 Chardonnay Reserve is yet another brilliant wine from Mount Eden. Lemon confit, white flowers and mint all grace this exquisite, super-inviting Chardonnay. There is plenty of energy, depth and structure, but today those elements are more implied rather than overtly stated. 94+ (AG)