I'll Drink to That! Episode #346:
Jeffrey Patterson
2012 Mount Eden Estate Pinot Noir
"Mount Eden refuses to conform to the stylistic demands of today's market, which emphasize power, lush fruit flavors and immediate gratification over nuance, minerality and balance."
-Eric Asimov, The New York Times
Mount Eden stands out for its singular style, its impressive track record for aging and its rich history. For us, it is one of California's great wineries.
In his recent I'll Drink to That! interview, Jeffrey Patterson provides a wealth of fascinating information on winemaking, history and much more. I've listened to the interview twice and continue to benefit from Patterson's amazing insight and perspective. The interview contains an enormous amount of information that can't be found elsewhere. We strongly encourage you to check it out.
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IDTT 346: Jeffrey Patterson |
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To visit Mount Eden is to immediately be overwhelmed by the audacity of its slopes. The estate’s isolated vineyards are planted at an impressive elevation of 2,000 feet in the Santa Cruz Mountains, endowing the wines with plenty of minerality, nuance and freshness. Patterson, who arrived in 1981, clearly teases out all the intricacies of the site as he strives to make wines for the long-term. He says that he makes wines with the intention of them aging twenty-five years.
To receive the special pricing, please use the IDTTFORME promotion code. You can purchase online, over the phone or by replying to this email.
Mount Eden was founded in 1945 by Martin Ray, and from the onset, Ray proved to be a true maverick. Ray grew up in the area, but had worked as a stock broker in San Franscisco until a mental breakdown caused him to return to the Santa Cruz mountains and buy a winery (first, Paul Masson and then on Masson's urging the site further up the hill that became Mount Eden.) This was an incredibly bold move on Ray's part. Prohibition had just ended, the industry had fallen apart and there was very little fine wine to speak of. In spite of all this, Ray set out to produce world class wine and charge top dollar for it. And he succeeded until a dispute with shareholders.
The estate was one of the first to focus on single varietal wines - especially Pinot Noir - at a time when most American wineries were still producing field blends. Its legacy of estate bottlings is one of the longest in the country.
Mount Eden's Chardonnay, Cabernet and Pinot are all stunning examples of the respective grapes and great examples of the restrain, finesse and subtlety that California is capable of producing.
In the end, we picked the 2012 Pinot because of the historic importance of the grape for the estate and because of how successful it is in 2012. The 2012 Mount Eden Estate Pinot Noir has a strong old world imprint. In 2012, the wine is endowed with a graceful complexity and purity of fruit, balanced by lively acidity and vibrancy.
Mount Eden has long been one of our favorite California wineries. We've tasted bottles over thirty years old that we've absolutely loved. We're really happy to have this interview available to deepen our knowledge on this truly unique and world class estate.
To order, reply to offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Joe Salamone
Wine Buyer
Crush Wine & Spirits