# Mount Eden Estate Chardonnay (2020)

- **Producer:** Mount Eden Vineyards
- **Colour:** white
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Chardonnay
- **Region:** California, United States
- **Style:** Classic
- **Alcohol:** 14.0%
- **Contains sulphites:** No
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 10–13 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** peach, apple, grapefruit, lemon, butter, cloves, vanilla, honey, almond

## About this wine

The Mount Eden Estate Chardonnay 2020 hails from the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA in California. This wine is a testament to the estate's resilience, particularly in the challenging 2020 vintage characterized by drought and heat. Mount Eden Vineyards, founded in 1945, is recognized as one of California's original boutique wineries, known for its estate-bottled Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The estate's high elevation (2,000 feet) and infertile Franciscan shale soils, combined with dry-farming practices and an average vine age of 27 years, contribute to the wine's distinctive profile and aging potential.

## Interesting facts

- Vines are dry-farmed, relying solely on natural rainfall.
- Average vine age is 27 years, contributing to concentrated fruit.
- Fermented and aged entirely in French oak barrels.
- Produced from low yields, averaging 1-2 tons per acre.

## Food pairing

The wine's focused acidity cuts through richer elements like butter and cream, while its body complements the texture of fish and poultry. Mineral notes in the wine can echo earthy flavors in dishes like mushrooms or root vegetables.

## Wine making process

The Mount Eden Estate Chardonnay 2020 is 100% barrel-fermented in French oak, employing natural primary and secondary fermentation. Following fermentation, the wine ages for 10 months on its lees in French Oak barrels, a combination of new and one-year-old. The vineyard is dry-farmed, and the 2020 harvest was completed by the end of August due to accelerated ripening from warm, dry conditions. Grapes were harvested when slightly yellow to yellow-green.