![Mount Eden Estate Pinot Noir 2021 (Santa Cruz Mountains, California) - [JD 96] [VM 96] [WA 94] [WE 94] [JS 93] [WS 92]](http://artisan.wine/cdn/shop/files/Estate-Pinot-Noir_{width}x.png?v=1789846283)
Mount Eden Estate Pinot Noir 2021
(Santa Cruz Mountains, California) - [JD 96] [VM 96] [WA 94] [WE 94] [JS 93] [WS 92]
Regular price $90.00 Sale price $69.99 Save $20.01
Notes from the Winemaker:
All of our estate vineyards are dry-farmed, and because of this we diligently track precipitation. A mere fourteen inches of rain fell during a nail biting "rainy" season, forcing us to severely reduce output on our Pinot Noir vines due to drought-stress.
Our Pinot Noir is a natural wine reflecting the place and the vintage. The crop may have been small, but the concentration and depth correspondingly increased. Classic blackberry/raspberry aromas greet you along with a deep ruby color. On the palate, great balance and acid/tannin tension continue. Despite the considerable concentration of red fruit, the all-important element of freshness is in abundance.
The 2021 growing season here at Mount Eden was a nail-biter. A meager 12 inches of rain fell, the lowest recorded at this site since at least 1943, when our founder, Martin Ray, first came to this mountaintop.
Every wine region has something weather-related to worry about: summer rain/ hail in France, winter kill in Washington State, or the specter of drought in California. Everyone who makes wine thinks about the weather and how it will affect the grapes, for good or bad. Given the drought, harvest was early, late August into September, and overall, it was a success.
Our signature style is directed by what happens in the vineyard, with minimal intervention once the wine is in the barrel; this gives our Estate Pinot Noir a classic restraint and longevity.
Anticipate a delightful evolution over the next 15 years.
TECH NOTES:
- Rain Total in 2021: 12.7 inches
- Yield: 2.5 tons per acre
- Harvest Dates: August 23rd-September 1st, hand-harvested
- Numbers @ Harvest: 23.5° Brix, 3.33 pH, 7.5 grams acidity
- Fermentation: 100% natural primary and secondary (malolactic) barrel fermentation
- Barrel: 100% barrel aged in new and one-year-old French Oak
- Aging: 10 months in barrel, sur-lie;
- Bottling: July 2022
- Alcohol: 14%
- Cases Produced: 1,423 cases- 750ml, 40 cases- 1500ml
Ratings & Reviews
96 Points - Jeb Dunnuck:
"The 2021 Pinot Noir has bright, fresh, lifted red fruit and citrus with a wealth of balanced acidity. Aged sur lees for 11 months, it is bottled unfiltered, barrel to barrel rack in March so it can rack from barrel to tank for bottling without picking up lees. The grapes are grown on five separate vineyards and blended together, exuding mountain terroir of earthy pine, tea, and raspberry, layered in waves of juicy texture. Enjoy best 2028-2036." -VB (Apr 2025)
96 Points - Vinous:
"The 2021 Pinot Noir Estate Bottled unfolds with a blockbuster bouquet of macerated red cherry, lavender, new leather and clove. Aged in 40% new French oak for ten to eleven months, it's broad and ample on the palate. Layers of fresh berry fruit, supple tannins and gentle citrus succulence introduce a wine of extreme class and pedigree. The tannins are just so refined, and the delineation of flavors is superb. Vivid, lively, meticulous and calibrated, this is a testament to the heights attainable with Pinot Noir in the Santa Cruz Mountains." -BN (Sep 2024)
94 Points - Robert Parker's Wine Advocate:
"The 2021 Pinot Noir Estate is a pretty and ethereal rendition of the Mount Eden style, offering inviting, red-fruited and forest floor aromas framed with judicious use of new oak. The palate is lively, buoyant and medium-bodied, leading to an energetic finish supported by cleansing acidity and youthful, fine tannins. Still quite tight and inward throughout, this should start unfolding in 3-4 years and continue to reward for over a decade." -ML (Apr 2024)
94 Points + Cellar Selection - Wine Enthusiast:
"The rounded aromas of pomegranate and cherry on the nose of this bottling are cut by stony streaks of graphite and crushed pumice. The palate is dark on both fruit and mineral fronts, pairing slightly tart black fruit with chiseled slate. Drink now-2039." -MK (Dec 2024)
93 Points - James Suckling:
"Bay laurel, sage and an almost coniferous note on the nose. The structured palate shows tea tannins, mixed cherries and birch. Impressive balance and length. Great bones. Needs time, but will justify patience."
92 Points - Wine Spectator:
"Nicely packed together, this offers a core of black cherry and blood orange fruit mixed with rose hip, black tea and singed orange peel accents. Shows a chiseled structure, with savory and mineral elements. Extended finish. Best from 2026 through 2032." -JM (Apr 2025)