No revelations or discoveries here, just my best showing ever for an all-time favorite and great:
2005 Mount Eden Chardonnay, Santa Cruz Mountains – Always great wine, this last bottle was just stunning. I’ve noted the color variation between bottles and enjoyed wonderful bottles that were medium to deep gold. But this one was a bright straw color. The aromas were amazingly young and fresh, featuring white fruits, quince, hazelnut, pine and cactus flower. The palate was truly dense, muscular without a hint of fat, with immediate pig-iron hardness instantly yielding to something firm but friendly, like you lay down on a mattress that only exists in dreams. The panoply of flavors were fully equal to the texture, now with the tiniest hint of butter, something I’ve never found in any other vintage of this wine. Seamless and riveting, it got everybody’s attention and was perfect with grilled swordfish, eggplant and carrots. Rated 100.
I have one bottle left, will consume it before next summer. I have downplayed the color variation in this and other Mount Eden Chardonnay bottlings, but it looks like I learned something from this: I guess the color variation matters. This was the lightest colored bottle of this I’ve had in maybe five years and clearly the best.
Dan Kravitz
