Eden Rift - Estate Chardonnay2022
WHITE WINE
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Producer
Eden Rift
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Blend
100% Chardonnay
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Country
USA
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Region
California
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Appellation
Cienega Valley
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UPC
8 50003 38830 4
Reviews
Decanter 94
A soaring coastal Chardonnay from the perfectly tuned limestone soils in the Cienega Valley. You get a sense of the juicy texture just by nosing the glass. Rich and opulent, with aromatics of preserved lemon, citrus pastry cream, and lemon beebalm that sets a savoury edge, framed by the salty sea air. The palate is intense and pulses with rich lemon concentration, brilliant salinity and crushed stone. A gem of a coastal Chardonnay.
by CP, Decanter , 2025
Wine Advocate 91
The 2022 Chardonnay Estate opens with a distinctly minty and lifted nose, followed by a suave, textural palate with admirable purity and vibrancy. It concludes with a tense and vibrant finish, consistently building additional layers of citrusy lift with time in the glass.
by ML, Wine Advocate , 2025
Wine Enthusiast 91
Lightly smoked white peach aromas meet with flinty crushed rocks on the nose of this bottling. The palate is tart with lime peel flavors that evolve into chalk and brisk apple.
by MK, Wine Enthusiast , 2025
Technical Details
Estate
Under Vine Since 1849 - Eden Rift is the oldest continuously producing estate vineyard in California. Located just 20 miles from Monterey Bay, the
120 acre estate rests on the San Andreas Faultline and is part of the Cienega Valley AVA. Early vintners saw potential in the limestone and dolomite-rich
soil planting Pinot Noir on the estate in 1860. Post prohibition, the focus on Pinot Noir & Chardonnay was lost until 2016 when Christian Pillsbury
acquired the estate. Christian assembled a team of young industry professionals to once again make some of California’s most vivid, energetic Chardonnay
and Pinot Noir. The extreme terraces and diverse terroir in a single contiguous valley make California’s oldest estate vineyard its most exciting new project.
Harvest
Sept 6 to Sept 14, 2022.
Tasting notes
The 2022 Estate Chardonnay has a pale lemon yellow hue, with flavors that lead with ripe Anjou pear, golden delicious apples,
and tempered with bright acidity. There is a nod towards more tropical fruit as well, with a light pineapple note that persists
along with a creamy texture from full Malolactic fermentation. The palate is focused with a chalky character on the palate –
indicative of the soils from whence this wine came. A graceful amount of new oak provides light vanilla and baking spices that
dance on the tongue with a hint of white flowers to the nose. This vintage of Chardonnay has a clear direction, unfurling over the
course of a glass, showcasing the many facets of our intriguing Estate.
Technical data
RS: <0.4 g/L
ML: <0.05 g/L
PH: 3.3
ALC: 13.9%
Bottling Date: June 8, 2024
Case Production:849 cases
Terroir
Our Estate Chardonnay is made up of clones 76, 4, old Wente, and Calera clone. These vines are mostly cane pruned and all our Chardonnay is
hand harvested. Calera clone in particular comes from the coldest section of our vineyard which provides a unique minerality and acidity.
Vinification
A tribute and testament to the vineyard's natural setting as well as its meticulously farmed Chardonnay vines.This offering was whole-cluster pressed,
barrel fermented and aged in 14% new French oak barrels for 17 months using indigenous yeasts. This well-balanced Chardonnay went through
100% Malolactic fermentation.