The profound 1996 Chardonnay Estate is the finest Chardonnay Mount Eden has produced since their riveting 1992. This wine possesses the grandeur and volume, in addition to complexity, of a grand cru white Burgundy. The nose offers up subtle scents of smoke, roasted nuts, and honeyed, citrusy fruit. The wine cuts a full-bodied path on the palate, yet it possesses sufficient balancing acidity to give it striking delineation. The level of concentration is awesome, as is the 41-second finish. This spectacular, complex, leesy, multi-dimensional Chardonnay is more evolved than the 1992 was at a similar state. However, given how beautifully that wine has aged, this Chardonnay should improve for another 5-7 years, and last more than a decade. It is a tour de force in winemaking. Tel. (408) 867-5832; Fax (408) 867-4329