Meeting Mount Eden’s New Winemaker Austin Chin

February 28, 2025 – Circumstance? Luck? Perseverance?

The fact that young, world-educated winemaker Austin Chin is now the winemaker at Mount Eden Vineyards is testament to his sheer determination. Or maybe it was a bit of his stubborn streak showing up when it mattered most.

Chin—a 32-year-old Concord native and Cal Poly graduate in Fermentation Science—had no idea what he wanted to do for a career. “You know how they have those tests in high school to determine what you want to do?” says Chin. “Well, winemaker is not listed as one of them.”

He does admit there is some remote connection to wine in his family, as his grandfather worked for a company in Hayward that helped developed a special glue for Gallo to keep labels on white wine from falling off when put into ice buckets. Still, that was as close as he had come to wine.

“It was not even in my sphere when I went to Cal Poly,” says Chin. “I was studying city and regional planning and switched to fermentation science and wine. There was something fascinating about the connection it brought between you and the person you are with when you are drinking it.”

During college he worked at small wineries in Edna Valley, then settled in Santa Maria, where he learned to make wine from a disciple of the late Jim Clendenen. “That’s the style of Pinot Noir I learned to make: light and lean. I feel the beginning of your career is pivotal as to where you will be headed.”

After stints in New Zealand and in Sonoma at Gary Farrell, he decided he wanted to get a job at a winery in the South Bay so he could be closer to friends. The key criteria was that it had to have vineyards. And so, one fateful Friday in autumn of 2016, he headed up the dusty steep Mount Eden Road in Saratoga, ignoring the menacing “Closed” signs.

“I was handing out my resume at wineries in the area,” says Chin. “I knew it was time to put down roots. I was looking for an opportunity to grow. I knew of their reputation, but had never even tasted the wines. I felt working with vineyards was the next step in my evolution as a winemaker.”

He was in luck. As the road grew narrower and the landscape wilder, he says he felt a sense of belonging. “I love being outdoors and hiking in remote places, so I figured I had a pretty good chance of not getting lost.”

Instead, he found a home. Except, it happened to be the Patterson’s.

“I had no idea the Patterson’s lived there!” says Chin. “Ellie came out of the house. She was like a shining light: she had this aura. I explained that I was looking for a job and handed her my resume.” They chatted briefly and he left.

Later that evening, Chin got a call from winemaker Jeffrey Patterson, asking if he could come up to the winery on Monday.

And so the next phase of his wine education, and career began.

Chin was immediately put to work in the vineyards. “It was a wild, wet winter, the first year after a drought, and I had never pruned before! I remember it was 35 degrees and pouring rain and the wind blew at 40 miles an hour for three months straight.”

Working with Jeffrey Patterson proved educational on many levels. “I have never worked with someone with such a grasp of the wines he is making and such a vast knowledge of the styles that have come and gone historically,” says Chin. “Once I started working for him, I realized there was so much more to learn than I ever thought.”

Everyone at Mount Eden is a hard worker, says Chin. There’s no alternative. His style meshed immediately with Jeffrey’s.

Working with Jeffrey and Ellie’s son Reid, though, was a bit awkward at first. The two are very different people, says Chin. Interestingly, they had both gone to Cal Poly: one had started in viticulture and switched out (Patterson), while the other had switched in (Chin).

“We did not hit it off,” recalls Chin. “I can be hard-headed and a brute. Reid was very soft and gentle and he had been studying to become a masseuse. We have different personalities, and we still do, but we work together really well. When we go to wine events, I am so thankful he is there because he is really good at speaking. He has told me before he is not good at chit chat, but give him something to focus on, and he is amazing. He’s a great speaker on Mount Eden style and history.”

Chin admits it was a bit awkward when he officially took over the winemaker position in December. Jeffrey Patterson has been the face of Mount Eden for 44 years. But, says Chin, “Reid is the GM now. Both of us have grown a lot since we started working here together, and as people there has been a lot of growth.”

Indeed, after eight years of living on Mount Eden, tending the vines both there and at the Patterson’s Domaine Eden property, the former Cinnabar winery and vineyard property off Highway 9 in Saratoga, Chin appreciates intimately how each vine translates its particular piece of dirt into wine. Working side by side with the Pattersons in the cellar and in the vineyards has taught Chin a great appreciation for the critical role the vineyards play in creating a style and a legacy.

Now, as winemaker at Mount Eden Vineyards, arguably one of the most revered names in the wine world, the gravity is not lost on Chin. He might make some minor tweaks here and there with barrel choices and lees contact, but the basic formula is set in stone.

Patterson, 72, is happy to spend most of his time in the vineyards, where the magic really happens. He’s done with worrying about ordering barrels and bottling supplies. He knew it was time to hand over the reins and has ultimate faith in Chin. “We make our wines from the same vineyards every year and we keep things the same, except maybe for some small changes to the barrel regime. We are a traditional winery and we have been doing the same thing forever.”

Every single decision made in the vineyard impacts the wine. Row by row, vine by vine, the vineyard is a living ecosystem that helps make the wines from Mount Eden noteworthy and sought after.

“Mount Eden wines can have dense colors and flavors, and with impactful aromas, but the mouthfeel can float on the palate,” says Chin. “Like any really good wine, this lends to their enjoyability. They are never dense. Instead, they are airy, but juicy. You could say they exhibit new world flavors and Old World restraint. In the best vintages, you find the best of both worlds.”

Note: Mount Eden is open for tasting on weekdays only (M-F) between the hours of 10:30 and 2:30pm, by advance appointment only. Please do not ignore the “Closed” signs! Its sister property Domaine Eden is open on weekends only, from 12pm until 3:30pm.