Mount Eden Vineyards Chardonnay Santa Cruz Mountains 2012

Taut and vibrant, the 2012 Chardonnay is one of this winery’s finest. The lifeblood of owners Jeffrey and Ellie Patterson, this tiny winery in Saratoga is one of California’s underappreciated treasures. Mount Eden is a labor of love, producing small amounts of Cabernet, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The Chardonnay comes from two shy-bearing parcels on the mountaintop, giving a mix of ripe and structured cuvées that spend a year in French oak and undergo full malolactic fermentation. The wines are styled to age for 10 years or longer.

Tasting Note

Spicy, toasty, aromatic oak offers an enticing start, with a fresh, vibrant core of lemon-lime, lemon curd, white peach and stone fruit that is very tight, dense, focused and persistent. Ends with a juicy Key lime aftertaste. Drink now through 2029.—James Laube