The 2016 PN I had up thread a week or two ago was 10 to 20% declassified Mount Eden fruit. I think that was mentioned in the tech sheet or in one of the professional reviews somewhere.
Also some Western Costco’s have the current/recent release Domaine Pinot for $28. I have seen most of their lineup there in recent years though.
I haven’t had it. I have always found Mount Eden Pinot Noir the least consistent of the three grapes on the property. I have had multiple vintages that seemed searing and clumsy on release; sometimes resolving with age, but sometimes not.
I think that Mount Eden and a lot of wineries sold off their 2020s not because of smoke taint but because it was so hard to sell those wines because of consumer fear of smoke taint.
Thanks everyone for the thoughtful responses. There seems to be general agreement on the quality/style differences between the Mount Eden and Domaine Eden Chardonnays, and the likely reasons for those differences.
I think the discussion has largely answered my first question: it seems my all-or-nothing reaction is not one you share. I’d still be curious to hear from anyone who does. People enjoy both wines, even if they place Mount Eden on another level. A crude CT broadly supports this, with the 12 most recent overlapping vintages showing Domaine Eden at 90.1pts and Mount Eden at 92.1pts.
The second question is the one I still find fascinating: not why the wines are different, not why I prefer one to the other, but why my response to them is so all-or-nothing. The replies have understandably focused on the uniqueness of the Mount Eden site, and I’m sure that’s an important part of the explanation. What I still find interesting is that even if the site explains the extremity of my response, it still might not fully account for it. For example, I had a similar experience with the 2013 Domaine Eden, which was 72% declassified Mount Eden fruit. This further suggests that there’s something more subtle going on, even if I can’t put my finger on what it is.
I’d be curious to hear any further thoughts, but I’m also comfortable not having a definitive answer—the ambiguity only makes these wines more fascinating to me. And just to be clear, none of this is intended to criticise Domaine Eden. My interest is in understanding why I love Mount Eden. More broadly, it raises an interesting question of whether some wines have a very narrow margin between not resonating with a particular palate at all and being truly great.
The mysteries of ‘terroir’.
Whenever I read this thread i spend money. Reminder never to open again!
Perfect. I’ve finally found the title for my self-absorbed series of Agatha Christie-style “whodunnit” novels about the crimes of my palate. It should be a huge bestseller, so I’ll make sure you get your royalties.
“For it was Chris, in the parlor with a magnum of Sutter Home White Zinfandel.”
Interested, Have a 1995 ME Chard, some 80’s 90’s and early 2000’s ME Cab, and multiple decades of ME Pinot. More than happy to travel to meet fellow SCM enthusiasts!
Added to my list and soon to be getting it added to my cellar. Thanks, Dan!
Thanks Matt, have bought and drank Sam Lou Smith and enjoyed it. Bought it because WineBid had a few offerings sub $20. Highway robbery. Those Ghostnote prices are SEXY.
Ghostnote is Brad Friedman, the assistant winemaker at Fogarty. His first wines were a trio of Italian varieties that had been grafted over for us (Harrington Wines) by Ron Siletto in San Benito before we shut down. He’s since added a fantastic super Tuscan from Ascona Vyd in the SCM and a white Bdx blend from the nearby Gist Vyd. He got his first releases in 5 or 6 Michelin Star restaurants on the Peninsula. His day job means his production needs to remain small, since he only has so much time to sell the stuff.
Driftwood Cottage is Katie Husher, cellar master at Fogarty. He first wines are a Sangiovese from Ascona and an Aligote from Siletto. Worth checking out. Aligote has been planted at a few vineyards in the SCM, so maybe she’ll be able to switch or add a source.
Then there’s Precedent, which is Nathan Kandler, Fogarty’s winemaker. His wines have been more about old vines, not so local. At the recent Unfiltered event he poured as a bonus his first Chenin, an '09 from Ventana (Arroyo Seco, Monterey County). It had picked up richness from age, but was otherwise youthful. Such a great vineyard. I’ve had '70s and '80s Chards and Pinots from there that are still amazing now. I brought Joe Davis and Rsndall Grahm and others over to try it. (Joe pointed out he’d managed the vineyard for a bit, which was a cool surprise.) Nathan’s current Chenin release is a '23 from the SCM, which seems on the same level. He’s got another SCM wine that hasn’t been released yet that’s from a sort of Holy Grail site.
We had some really great representation of the Santa Cruz Mountains at Unfiltered with those you just named and Madson, Samuel Louis Smith, Randall, Nicole Walsh (on panel but not pouring) and those nearby like Ian Brand, Joe and Arcadian.
I wish I could remember the name of the French guy at Saintsbury. He was the nephew of Laplanche, who owned Ch de Pommard. He had falling out with his uncle and was last seen selling stereos in Switzerland.
There’s so much soil diversity. I’m not the one to ask where the limestone is other than the Bonny Doon area (Ben Lomind AVA, which is rarely declared aside from Beauregard). McHenry Vineyard started there in the '70s. Their Pinot inspired a certain Randall Grahm to buy land next to them and get into the wine business. McHenry still exists in the third generation. Down the road a bit the Beauregards planted the Coast Grade Vineyard, which many have and fo source. It’s on a hillside, where there’s a limestone quarry on the other side. Fantastic site. Look for versions from better wineries (incl. Big Basin and Beauregard).
