2015 Mount Eden Vineyards Chardonnay Santa Cruz Mountains 750 ml

There are a few California Chardonnays so painstakingly made, so eminently ageable, and so gloriously complex that they can electrify the senses and evoke quiet contemplation in one single sip: Kongsgaard’s sought-after The Judge. Minerally and historic Stony Hill. And the completely captivating icon of the Santa Cruz Mountains, Mount Eden.

Grown at one of California’s most storied estates, Mount Eden Chardonnay is one the state’s finest white wines, bar none, and we’re thrilled to have an allocation of their 2015—one that was originally destined for the Ritz-Carlton Half Moon Bay. But instead of being sipped by the fire pits overlooking the roaring Pacific, these bottles will be enjoyed by Wine Access members—at a price that could barely cover a glass and a half at the five-star hotel.

One taste of the 2015 reveals exactly why Mount Eden stands as one of the premier Chardonnays of California. Golden-hued and laden with ripe apple, butterscotch, and marzipan, it’s just beginning to add complexity five years after harvest, and its vivacious acidic backbone hints at a long, long life ahead. Jeb Dunnuck called it “brilliant,” a “rich, concentrated, classic” that can age for 10-15 years—a motion seconded by Wine Enthusiast, which gave it Cellar Selection designation. 

The only cellar these bottles have seen is the one at Mount Eden, where they’ve been slumbering patiently since being bottled a year after harvest. We recommend thinking in the long-term, because if there’s any California Chardonnay that deserves to be sampled patiently over the course of years, this is the one. 

Mount Eden has a history interwoven with some of the biggest names in California wine, and dating back to Burgundy-born pioneer Paul Masson, who first set out for the New World in 1878. After establishing himself in the mountains near San Jose, Masson eventually advised his neighbor and friend Martin Ray to purchase the mountaintop site next door to his. Ray did, and planted grapes on Mount Eden.

The estate adopted the Mount Eden name in the early 1970s—one of the first winemakers was the now-legendary Merry Edwards—and at a time when California Cabernets were making international headlines, Mount Eden was quietly making some of California’s greatest Burgundian-inspired wines. A big part of that is their blessed location. Sitting on an exposed hilltop at 2,000 feet of elevation, Mount Eden sits above the fog line, enjoying plenty of sunshine but cool daytime temperatures, thanks to the elevation and the nearby Pacific.

In 2015, Mount Eden got a modest two tons per acre out of their austere shale soils. After being harvested at a peak balance of ripeness and acidity—something that is crucial to the longevity of the wine—the Chardonnay was 100% barrel-fermented. Then it spent eleven months on the lees in the barrel (all French oak, 50% new and 50% one-year-old), picking up creamy complexity and toasted notes. A year after harvest, when most wineries were rushing their new Chardonnays to market, Mount Eden set the 2015 down for two-years of bottle aging.

Now, the precise picking and patient aging is paying dividends. Mouthwatering and gorgeously complex now, this is a Chardonnay that will yield great rewards over the next several years. We’re thrilled to have it, and can’t wait for you to partake.