Tasting at Ceritas

• 2021 Ceritas Chardonnay Trout Gulch

  USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

  Medium yellow. Herbal, leesy aromas. Medium weight, light oak, nice feel which belies its low (11.8%) ABV. Bright tangerine and lemon, fine soil, and a youthfully tart finish. Early days for this-it needs to unwind.

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• 2021 Ceritas Chardonnay Peter Martin Ray

  USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

  Yellow. Low toned fruit and lees come through on the nose. Weightier than the Trout Gulch with good depth, even less of a wood imprint, and much more glycerine and broadly textured. Round stone fruit rather than citrus, excellent framing acidity. Big but balanced.

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• 2016 Ceritas Chardonnay Peter Martin Ray

  USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

  Medium yellow. Toasty, low pitched fruit, and some secondary perfume. Mellow, dry tropical fruit, high acidity, some vanilla, and a touch of zesty citrus. Complex wine, not fruit driven. This really reminds me of Côte de Beaune Grand Cru in its breadth.

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• 2021 Ceritas Pinot Noir Cuvée Chloe

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  Clear, light, bright ruby. Forward cranberry, red berry, and floral aromas. Bright, penetrating, tart red fruit mixed in with green tones in a light to medium bodied package. Excellent finishing sweetness and soil. I really like the lift and complexity provided by the whole clusters without imparting aggressive stemminess. Obviously made with a very light touch.

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• 2015 Ceritas Pinot Noir Elliott Vineyard

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  Dull medium ruby core. Complex aromas of sous bois, ripe cherry, and a whiff of ethyl acetate which receded. Medium weight but it feels bigger and quite rich. Candied cherry and black fruit, lively acids, and a strong soil finish. Serious wine that is not entirely ready. Impressive acidic structure to handle the ripeness of the fruit.

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• 2016 Ceritas Pinot Noir Elliott Vineyard

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  Medium depth center, light rim. Beautifully open aromas of char, red fruit, and fresh cut flowers. Open and elegant, far less bulky than the 2015. Gently sweet red fruit, discrete oak, a bit of cola, finishing citric twist, low tannins, and a fine soil finish. This was a strikingly delicious, interesting wine which was the most approachable of the 3 consecutive vintages of the Elliott that were poured.

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• 2017 Ceritas Pinot Noir Elliott Vineyard

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Coast

  Light, translucent color. Sweet fruit and caramel on the nose with a light touch of stemminess. Medium body. Ripe strawberry and cherry atop a soil base that is kissed by subtle oak. This also has a blood orange note. Stemmier, more tannic, and a raspier than the 2 older examples of this vineyard. Excellent potential but this needs at least a few years.

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• 2019 Ceritas Cabernet Sauvignon Peter Martin Ray

  USA, California, Santa Cruz Mountains

  Deep ruby. Gently herbal aromas. Medium weight, very pleasing flow across the palate. Sinuous mix of herbs, olive, and black fruit. Serious acidity and excellent underlying minerality, fine grained tannins. Wonderful balance and real inner mouth perfume. Outstanding and already drinking well, but this should last for 15+ years.

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Hugely impressive, restrained, stylish wines