2021 · Pinot Noir

Mount Eden Vineyards is a family-owned, historic Santa Cruz Mountains estate founded in 1945 on the former Martin Ray property. Under Patterson family stewardship, and with Jeffrey Patterson leading viticulture and winemaking from 1981 until his 2025 transition to Winemaker Emeritus, the winery has built a long continuity around estate-grown Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Sauvignon, with small amounts of Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Its rugged mountaintop vineyards, planted in infertile Franciscan shale above the fog line near the Pacific, are dry-farmed and kept to very low yields through vertical training and careful thinning. The approach in both vineyard and cellar emphasizes gentle, minimalist handling, with the long growing season shaping concentrated, ageworthy wines. Mount Eden also farms the nearby Domaine Eden site, acquired in 2007.