2022 Ceritas Chardonnay Zephyr Vineyard***
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Tasting notes
A bright straw yellow hue, the 2022 Chardonnay Zephyr comes from the coastally influenced region between Bodega Headlands and the Sebastopol Hills, where cool coastal air envelops the vines. The soils provide shallow, exposed topsoils, slowing the vine's maturation and extending the growing season. The grapes develop thicker skins, which has resulted in producing a striking and savory wine. In the glass, the wine opens with nuanced reductive and flinty aromas that give way to notes of wet stone, almond skin, white peach, saline, and fresh flowers. The palate offers a medium-bodied frame, concentrated richness of extract, and notable structure, with lasting notes of lemon balm through a long and rounded finish. It deserves a few years in cool cellars and will begin to show its best in the next several years. Drink 2026-2038.
Critic scores
Jeb Dunnuck
About the producer
Created in 2005 by John Raytek, Ceritas is one of California’s most exciting producers. The project is focused on making single-site wines from Northern California’s coastal regions, largely Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.