2010 Mount Eden Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon- USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains (10/4/2014)
I already really like this wine and bought 2 more because I think it will it be stellar a few years down the road. This is CA Cab at its best. Marrying old school style to CA accessibility. I don’t think its going to take 15 yrs. for this to be great. I hope not, as I’ll be nearly 75 by then. The only, knock right now is that the oak is a bit ahead of the fruit on the palate which is a little tightly wound. Otherwise, I love the big floral nose, silky texture and classic top shelf BDX style. I especially like the value at the $49 I paid for it. I’ve been a fan of Mount Eden and Jeffrey Patterson for sometime. This is one producer you can buy blindly every year. I double decanted at 3PM and started tasting around 5:30. Drained it around 7:30. 13.5% ALC. Where else can you buy CA Cab this promising for under $60? This is pretty dark purple with major glass cling and palate staining but, still feels weightless. I’d score this higher but the oak needs to subside a bit ( its far from over the top now) and the restrained palate needs to open more. Blend of approximately 75% Cabernet, 22% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc. (92 pts.)
Nice note Craig. I just had this the other night also and agree that it is a really nice wine and a good value. I would have to disagree on the “BDX style” that you reference. I really feel that it is a blend of classic Cali. with some new world influence primarily because of the oak. I know this is heresy around here but I don’t mind a bit of oak in my cab’s and this one has just a bit. The $49 you paid is great value. Is that a recent purchase price?
I’ve been buying and drinking Mount Eden for about 40 years.
Whassamatta with holding it 15 years until it’s approaching maturity and you’re 75?
Visited Mount Eden a few years ago and was flattered and humbled when they handed me their press book. The first article was a writeup I did of a blind tasting of 1973 California Cabs in 1988, with Robert Parker and a bunch of other people in attendance. Mount Eden finished first, with Heitz Martha’s just a nose back.
After 20 years of naming Maximin Grunhaus as the world’s best winery, I switched to Mount Eden. Who else is this good with Cab, Chard and Pinot?
Being low on top Mount Eden bottlings with appropriate age, I’ve been reduced to Audouzing 2009 Domaine Eden Cabs for 2 - 3 days. Works for me. Can’t imagine drinking a 5 year old Mount Eden Cab. Audouze for a month?