TN: 2010 Mount Eden Vineyards Pinot Noir

  • 2010 Mount Eden Vineyards Pinot Noir - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains (4/7/2021)
    13.5% abv. Vivid burgundy red, very aromatic. Bright raspberry, mint and Christmas spice on the palate. Very intense, balanced and energetic. Superior depth and length. No tiredness on the nose or palate. Great now and over the next 4-5+ years. Wish I had more, this one is electric on the tongue. Singing. Outstanding. (97 pts.)

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Thanks for the extremely encouraging TN. I’ve sampled the 2004 and 2008 multiple times, with excellent results. Don’t have the 2010 but do have some bottles of 2009 and 2012 waiting in the wings. Looks like some research into the 2010 vintage is in order.

Cheers,
Doug

On day 2, still sensational, with a sappy, lingering finish. Wonderful showing!

Thanks for the great notes! I am opening a 2007 magnum with some friends in a week or so and have a 2009 for the future. This is really encouraging. I love these, but haven’t had any more than 6 or so years old.

I had my very first bottle of Mt Eden pinot (not the 10) about a month ago and was duly impressed. I will be buying some more.

I bought a case of the 2010 and 2011 a couple months ago and also found the 2010 superb. I think the 2011 is maybe even a bit better, but both really quite good.

Drank the '13 yesterday at the winery. Friggin A wonderful and ready to drink.

The 2010 spun my head around on release. Thanks for sharing this tasting note. I still have a few kicking around. Figured it should age well.

I get that these are ready to drink at a relatively youthful state, but how long can they age? Has anyone tried them with 20, 20+ years on them?

I’ve seen notes on the Cabs and Chards with age (and they sound beautiful), but never the Pinots.

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'85 and '86 Pinot Noirs opened in the last year or so are still drinking nicely. The earthiness is becoming a little more evident but the fruit was still there and the texture was delightfully smooth. I still have an '84 and an '87 from the decade of the 80s. I’ll get to them soon but I’m not feeling any urgency.

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I’ve been fortunate to attend dinners with all of the 70s, 80s, and 90s Mount Eden Estate Pinots with Jeffrey Patterson, the winemaker there since 1981. They were some time back, but within the last 9-12 years. Scott is right that these wines can age really well. The wines were perhaps less consistent in the 80s and early 90s, as Jeffrey got the farming more dialed in. 1985, in particular, is a stellar wine from that period. I drink most of my Mount Eden Pinots in the 12-15 year period, saving some of the very strong vintages for longer.

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My note from 2013, seems to have sniffed this one out. Great wine.

  • 2010 Mount Eden Vineyards Pinot Noir - USA, California, San Francisco Bay, Santa Cruz Mountains (7/9/2013)
    Nice cool nose. Tobacco leaf with strong ash on the nose, with cranberry and fleeting stem notes suggesting green things. The ash component is strong on the palate too, but it intermingles with the cherry and cranberry and anchors itself into a rather prominent savory tone in just the right way, almost like a spice accent. In fact, I wouldn’t call this a fruit driven wine at all, it is savory and stems in the best possible way with a very serious silken texture and outstanding balance. This would be a great food wine right now, and clearly has the pedigree to go the distance where I can’t help but think those stemmy notes will add fascinating dimension. 93-95.

Day two- Floral, cranberry, and stems on the nose, not remotely any heat. The ash has receded significantly and the wine is far less sharp, very mellow. The balance is retained even if it has lost a bit of verve (not necessarily a bad thing). Forget silky texture, this has just gone to butter, seriously impressive. It is still a savory driven wine that is practically indescribable, while the red cherry and cranberry that is present is still pure and delicious even though completely secondary. Forget Cali, forget Burgundy, this is Mt. Eden and it is positively gorgeous. (93 pts.)

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