This wine was recommended to me by a complete stranger I met in the wine aisle. He noticed that I had a more expensive bottle in my hand and told me that for half the price, this one was just as good – if not better – in his humble opinion.

I was stocking up on this particular trip so I bought both. It turns out this wine is definitely a find. And if you don’t trust me, you can take Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s word for it. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex served this wine – the 2014 in fact – to their wedding guests. Read the article here. Or, if ratings are your thing, Wine Enthusiast gave it 95 points.

Domaine Eden, is the 2nd label of Mount Eden Vineyards. The vineyards were purchased in 2007, about a mile away from the original estate. Both the vineyards and the winery are located in the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA, about 50 miles south of San Francisco.

Harvested over the month of August 2014, it was aged for 13 months in oak and bottled in October of 2015, producing  only 1,680 cases. I love that label includes the total number of bottles produced, as well as which number bottle you have. It makes me ponder which bottle numbers ended up at the Royal Wedding.

This is a beautiful and very approachable wine with aromas of cranberry, cherry and an earthy/dirt/moss note. Notes of cola came and went. On the palate I detected baking spice and vanilla.

I thought this wine had higher tannins for a Pinot Noir and in fact it does. In 2014 the area was in a drought, so much so that the owner and winemaker Jeffrey Patterson decided to prune the vines to survival mode, resulting in lower yields with higher concentrations of polyphenols (i.e., flavors and tannins).

This wine is not a bargain wine, but it is well worth it’s price. Ordering from the website this wine will set you back $40. I was lucky enough to pick it up at Costco for closer to $30.

What I love most about this wine, is the history I discovered in researching it. I discovered that Mount Eden has a history and a story that is perhaps even more Royal than the Duke and Duchess’s. Stay tuned for that because I literally cannot wait to tell you.