2018 Eden Rift "Estate" Cienega Valley Chardonnay

The 2018 Chardonnay Estate sports a medium gold hue to go with a gorgeous nose of white peach, stone fruits, honeysuckle, and toasted bread. Beautifully balanced, elegant, and with plenty of sweet fruit and great acidity, this is a killer Chardonnay I'd be thrilled to drink.

I've been working on this deal for a long while and finally got it done. I've long been a huge fan of Eden Rift's wines from this truly special estate in Cienega Valley. Nestled in the valley right below the famed Mt Harlan AVA, home to California icon Calera, lies Eden Rift. The property is actually very historic being one of the oldest continuously producing vineyards in all of California originally planted in 1849. The estate is stunning with many steeply terraced blocks leading in to the Gabilan Mountains to the west. The soils here are decomposed limestone and granite. The region sees huge diurnal swings in temperature as the hot days are tempered by ocean breezes funneling through the mountain passes and descending into the valley over night. The limestone soils and dramatically contrasting day and nighttime temperatures aren't only things Eden Rift shares with it's illustrious neighbor Calera...the winemaker at Eden Rift is Cory Waller, brother of longtime Calera winemaker Mike Waller. The 2018 Estate Chardonnay is really stunning. Very reminiscent of top notch Chablis with a pronounced oyster shell, salty minerality. The low yielding vines and few years in bottle have given the wine plenty of depth, power and intensity, yet the racy, mineral infused acidity has kept the wine so fresh and vibrant. Elegant stone fruit, baked golden apple, subtle hazelnut and toasted grains. Sea spray, wet stone, flint. Really beautiful length on the palate as the flavors unfurl showing layer after layer of complexity. At 50% off the original price, this is the most complex, engaging and multifaceted $20 Chardonnay I've tasted in some time. With the huge scores and massive discount I don't expect this one to be around for long. The quality here is really excellent, I'll be putting some in my own cellar for sure.