2017 Mount Eden Vineyards Pinot Noir Estate
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Tasting notes
The 2017 Pinot Noir Estate saw the usual fermentation with one-third whole clusters and élevage in 50% new French oak. The nose opens with straightforward red-fruited aromas, gaining woodsy, herbal and dried flower notes over time. The palate follows suit in its monotypic structure, gaining a bit of grip and refreshment on the finish with some coaxing. This is undoubtedly more primed for early consumption rather than a long life in the cellar, although it could gain complexity over the next few years.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
A small cuvée of 75 cases, this is the first iteration of a charitable bottling from Mount Eden Vineyards. A portion of proceeds for the 2017 Pinot Noir The Tanaka Project will go to the National Alliance on Mental Health (NAMI), a cause I fully support. Vinified in the same way as the estate Pinot, it offers a rich layering of aromas: blood orange, cranberry, licorice and exotic, amaro-like spices, all with a seamless undercurrent of earthy nuances. The palate is layered and inviting, with a grainy, fresh structure and long, spiced finish.
Grown at 2,000 ft (610 m) elevation on the original Mount Eden estate. Roughly 1,150 cases made. Lovely scents of raspberry and chopped green herbs. Faint tannins wrap around a core of pretty raspberry fruit tinged with raspberry-leaf and tomato-leaf notes. Clear signatures of whole-cluster fermentation with the herbal notes that linger into the finish. Beautifully balanced and juicy. Confidently compelling. (AY)
The 2017 Pinot Noir The Tanaka Project is a small three-barrel lot from one vineyard planted in 2010 and dedicated to the memory of Ron Tanaka, a family friend, artist and English professor who died by suicide. A portion of the proceeds will go to suicide prevention. Elegant, silky and polished, the 2017 has so much to offer. The natural richness of the vintage comes through, but, at the same time, an underlying spine of tannin and acid gives the wine a palpable sense of direction. Cedar, licorice, star anise and blood orange add attractive exotic accents.