2/24/2023 - golfwine Does not like this wine:

Bright red CHERRIES…like a bushel full, literally assaults your nose. Those turn to macerated bing then, underripe wild Blackberries - the kind that you can stop on the side of the road, leading out to the winery and pick at will. There was a period, about 90mins. in, where I sensed some distinct sunburnt sage. Color was a crystalline medium ruby.
It was the flavors that threw me. Super tart. A tad thin and non-descript, with uncharacteristically firm tannins that I’ve never before sensed/experienced in a Pinot.
2+hrs. in and it’s rearing it’s shy head and showing some light, bright red fruit but still super structured and virtually unyielding.
I had figured that at 7yrs old, it might be fully developed but perhaps I was wrong. I’m really trying to see if these impeccably made wines will truly last into the end of their stated drinking windows but can’t seem to muster up the patience to wait.

10/21/2022 - Scamber Likes this wine:

Best on night two. Higher alcohol, mid-palate intensity that tells me to wait a while for the next one. Opened this one to try first bottle from vintage. Herbal, intense red and blue fruit, floral.

4/5/2022 - randyjc wrote:

A wonderful, engaging wine. On the nose, there is a sweet spice, some menthol with red cherry with black cherry undertone. A delicious wine - the same cherry as on the nose but in the mouth it tightens up with tart cranberry. Drying tannins kick in early at the finish then yield to the acidity which carries a lengthy finish. Reminded us of a cool year PN from Eola-Amity. Solid sangiovese characteristics - cherry, earth, black tea. On the finish some dark earth minerality. Truly an exceptional wine in the early drinking window. The best one-word description? Delicious.

7/27/2021 - sfwinelover1 Likes this wine:

4th of 6 from the auction lot of about 2.5 years ago and the first in about a year. After giving it about 90 minutes of air to sort itself out, generally consistent tasting notes from the first 3 bottles (I'll not repeat my more anodyne tasting observations from the first 2 of those bottles here). This rich and ripe delicious wine continues to fare well in early middle age, with the powerful fruit strongly in the lead and the secondary notes and structure taking more underlying and integrated roles. If I have one quibble with this bottling--I've had a couple of bottles of the '08 in the past year or so in addition to the 4 bottles of this--it's that the relative paucity of tannins and acidity, typical BdM tasting notes such as cedary earth, ground spice, tomato leaf and smoke are largely subsumed by the bigness and opulence of the wine, as well as the creamy vs. more taut texture, so that this wine feels as much like as a Napa cab, as sdrucker wisely observes in his TN, as a Tuscan sangio. Now, since Napa cabs vie with BdMs and unclassified Tuscan sangios like Flaccinello, i sodi di san nicolo and Fontalloro, as my wines of choice, that's not necessarily a bad thing, but hey, if I wanted a Napa cab, that's what I'd have pulled from the collection! Still, even with this being at far end of modern BdMs, it's a highly enjoyable drink, works reasonably well with food, is good to go with minimal airing gymnastics and should have many more years of good drinking ahead. More likely to buy more bottles of this, whether this vintage (highly underrated in general, IMO) or otherwise than not, even if my ideal BdM profile is somewhere in between this and Biondi Santi. If scoring, 93-94.

7/21/2021 - KJD45$ Does not like this wine:

Tonight..not the wine for me....I have liked several other cristoms way more than this one...
Decent dark fruit , with dirt (not earth) component, and a bit of a bitter element...totally disjointed and a Pinot that I just could not enjoy...
I found it almost off putting with the dirt element...
I reserve the right to say I am being harsh tonight...but as it’s my only bottle I will never know...

6/7/2021 - EMark wrote:

Dark fruit nose typical of a CS-heavy blend. Surprisingly gentle hit of dark berry--blackberry, blueberry--on the tip of the tongue. The Syrah content seems to stifle some other cabernet dimensions that I might normally see. On introduction there is a silky mouthfeel. However, as the wine moves to the rear tongue and the throat, tannin and acid are detected. A full-bodied wine that will benefit greatly from several more years of aging.

5/27/2021 - Michigan Mostberg Likes this wine:

Have been less-than-impressed with this wine on a few occasions, an excellent showing tonight. Dark fruit and spice leap from the glass, satisfying depth without being thick, a nice long finish.

5/27/2021 - A6Rover wrote:

Not sure what to say about this particular bottle: it came our cloudy, almost sludgy. The taste wasn't terrible but it wasn't right. It almost felt and tasted like a zin or carignane. Perhaps this was the end of the tank and it just filled with sediment? Any thoughts here would be appreciated.

5/23/2021 - Rich S Likes this wine:

Not as aromatic as these wines tend to be so not sure if it is just tight or slightly shut down. Hints of lemon, golden apple, a bit of honeysuckle on the nose and palate with a touch of toasty oak coming through. Missing some of that acidic snap and crack and minerality though. Still, nicely balanced and smooth and an overall very good chardonnay but not as expressive as I have had from this vineyard in the past.

3/13/2021 - West Chester Wine wrote:

Simply one of the best wines I've ever had. Decanted for an hour. Flavor was dry, smooth, full, and extremely pleasant. Flavor also was long and stayed with you. Paired very well with a strong spaghetti. Loved it, just wish it was more affordable.

3/5/2021 - Vandelaar Likes this wine:

2nd bottle from a case. This one is a bit more evolved than the first one in September, the fruit turned more yellow and peach gets more dominant, buttery/lactic, a nutty note on day 2. All other qualities remain, mouth-filling, good acidity, good/very good intensity and a mouth coating mineral note. Stil quite young nevertheless, the tension, acidity and fruit intensity in the wine suggests it wil go on and progess on for at least half a decade.
The whole package gives you a luxurious and indulging feel, just the experience you want from a Bourgogne blanc.

2/6/2021 - Super Dave AZ Likes this wine:

I'm sure it me, but haven't been a fan of this style of Chardonnay from Ceritas. I've never had Chablis, so I guess this is the style. I did like this Chardonnay though. Maybe I'm drinking them too early but I wanted to try before offered any more.

1/5/2021 - YoyoHa Does not like this wine:

My bottle is muted?! No sign of flaw but really don't get the experience like others, decanted 1 hr and slowly drink over 5 hrs. All I could describe: watery, not integrated, hope it's just bottle variation.

1/21/2021 - cbforever1 wrote:

A bit muted and underwhelming

1/12/2021 - Cove Haven Likes this wine:

Finding bottle variation my 8th bottle from my case and the best so far
The wine looks crimson colored. The legs are medium. There is no sediment in the bottle. It smells like blackberry, light toast and black pepper. It tastes like violet and strawberry jam. The body is medium. The wine has polished texture. The wine finishes long. The wine has medium acidity.

8/18/2020 - Scamber Likes this wine:

2nd bottle from a case. Still wonderful and delicious now, very similar to previous bottle from March but this one showed some early signs of turning inward. Still lively red fruit, orange peel, tea, cola, baking spice, but more melded this time, not quite as open knit. Medium plus body, long spicy finish.

For BTF fans, so far I’m enjoying the 18s (WV PN) a lot more than the 17s (WV PN and Sunnyside so far; other vineyard designates are laying down). Others’ thoughts on BTF from these two very good vintages?

8/12/2020 - Michigan Mostberg wrote:

So young and stemmy right now. Savory cranberry dominates. Elegant, needs another 6 months before even thinking about trying another bottle.

1/7/2019 - PinotPaul Likes this wine:

Nice but not special. No obvious flaws. Muted fruit but well balanced.

12/16/2017 - edgar Likes this wine:

I have to say i'm not getting too much funk on this, certainly not enough to derail the wine. If anything, just a bit on the nose, but the palate is a really ripe sour cherry (maybe the funky bits add to this punch?) and full, round middle. Agree that this would be more Burgundian in style vs the other Oregon wines, but found it perfectly enjoyable.

11/13/2017 - msuwine wrote:

This pleasant but over-priced Chardonnay is drinking well right now. Light yellow, almost silver in color; medium in body; somewhat muted nose of quince and saline. Tastes of pear, lemon meringue, saline, and vanilla, with a soft yet acidic finish. 13.2% alcohol. I followed this over several hours, but it actually seemed more diluted with time. This might be acceptable at $45, but it's downright frustrating at almost $90.

Drinking this wine is consistent with many Oregon Chardonnays I've had: subtle and subdued, it has a pleasant lightness and is quite drinkable, but it lacks the intensity or complexity to be truly impressive. I appreciate lighter Chardonnays, but this is almost watery. I know Oregon Chardonnay is supposed to be the next big thing, but I just don't get it: they might be polite, but they're not very interesting - and, as prices continue to rise, count me out.