Picked up some of these at auction recently. It’s been a long long time since I last had this wine, circa 1991 or 92. As the land wasn’t cleared and planted until about 1983, this is the 2nd vintage from the property (now owned by Mount Eden), so young vines. I have a disclaimer: the family that lived on and ran this property for the owner, Tom Mudd, was Ron and Cathy Mosley (and their children, Caleb who later was the Monte Bello Vineyard Manager and now works for Araujo) are all good friends of mine.
A little bricking but the color is still holding up well. Lots of green bell pepper, cranberries, and anise on the nose. While the fruit is now delicate there is still plenty of bright cherries and green bell pepper with a good dose of dusty tannins to keep it interesting. A nice bright cherry and tannic finish wrap up a wine that is still holding up nicely. Although this is fully mature it’s probably best to drink these up in the next couple years as the tannins are on the verge of overtaking the aging fruit, which will leave it out of balance. Nice to see that even young vines can make nice wines that will hold up with age.
89 Points
Wow, Andy, insightful post. I would not have guessed the 87 to still be alive. It sounds like you’ve made the twisty-turny drive up to the top of the hill, and, as you know, it’s worth it. I’m glad this is now in ME’s hands. There is solid potential there, and the last time I walked the vineyards it was obvious to me that it was not being realized. With Jeff on deck, this vineyard will be one to watch in the next few years. Thanks for the tn. Will you be able to join us on 10 March at WCC?
i recently tried the '10 Pinot and '08 Cab from Domaine Eden and they’re quite good. Don’t know if the potential is fully realized, but there’s definitely been a large scale improvement.
Still sorting my work schedule but I’m hoping to make the 10th.
I too am glad ME bought the property. It has great potential, which the old Cinnabar winemaker didn’t know how to maximize it to its full potential regularly IMO.