Mount Eden Vineyards: Comparing the Cabernets 1990-2000

Owners Jeffrey and Ellie Patterson had lined up the 22 wines on a long table in their light-filled home, with views of vines from every window and a panorama of Silicon Valley far below...

Some of the first great California Chardonnays, Pinot Noirs and Cabernets I tasted back in the 1980s were from Mount Eden Vineyards. Perched at an altitude of over 600 metres on an isolated ridge in the remote Santa Cruz Mountains, the winery already had superstar status thanks to its colourful history and classic wines.

And as I discovered last October, getting to it still means driving up a steep, twisting dirt road that even challenges a four-wheel drive vehicle. I persevered through bumps and hairpin turns though, because awaiting me was an extraordinary opportunity to compare the Estate Cabernet and the Old Vine Reserve Cabernet, from 1990 to 2000 – the only decade when Mount Eden made both wines.The Pattersons had been there since 1981, but the estate began more than three decades before that, when opinionated visionary Martin Ray founded it under his own name in 1945.He started by planting Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and in the 1950s, Cabernet Sauvignon, sourced from cuttings from the historic La Questa vineyard in Woodside, California, which in turn had obtained cuttings from Château Margaux in the 1890s.

Ray eventually lost control of the estate to his investor partners, who changed the name to Mount Eden Vineyards in 1972 and brought in a series of winemakers, culminating in Jeffrey Patterson.

‘1990 was a watershed year,’ says Patterson. ‘We finally got the techniques down to make great Cabernet.’

And it was in that year that Mount Eden’s Estate Cabernet, a 100% Cabernet Sauvignon wine made from the remaining 2ha of old vines Ray had planted, was renamed Old Vine Reserve Cabernet.

In its place, a new Estate Cabernet was introduced, sourced from a vineyard planted a decade earlier that preserved the original grape lineage by using cuttings from Ray’s vines, but also included Merlot and Cabernet Franc.

But by the late 1990s, yields of the Old Vine Reserve Cabernet were getting lower, producing only 300 to 500 cases a year. The decision was made to pull up Ray’s vines after the 2000 harvest, ending the estate’s decade-long, dual-Cabernet wine production.

Vibrant

The biggest differences between the two Cabernets boil down to vineyard source, age of the vines, blend, and to a certain degree, style, and comparing the two wines was fascinating.

The soil type and microclimate are just about the same for both dry-farmed vineyards. The wines were handled the same way in the cellar and both are restrained, balanced and elegant. The wines from younger vines tend to be brighter, fruitier and reflect a blend that includes Merlot and Cabernet Franc. Some don’t have quite the same depth as the Old Vine Reserve, but in a few vintages I actually preferred the Estate cuvee.

What surprised me most was how vibrant all the wines still are. I certainly didn’t expect the several I last tasted a decade ago to live for so long. And neither, based on his original tasting notes, did Patterson.

The Old Vine Reserve Cabernet is certainly more collectible, as it was produced in much smaller quantities, but afficionados of California wines should hunt down both Cabernets – they show how just how brilliantly balanced, elegant Cabernets from California can age and, of course, they’re delicious right now.

Comparing Mount Eden Cabernet Sauvignon:

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