Ceritas 'Trout Gulch' Chardonnay 2022 Chardonnay

Ceritas 'Trout Gulch' Chardonnay 2022 Chardonnay • Santa Cruz Mountains, California

lemon peel, a little lime and apple, vanilla, spice, and a toasty char on the nose, then full-bodied and creamy on the palate with enough acidity to keep it finishing long, very long. 

Ceritas doesn't own a single vine, they partner with growers across the Santa Cruz Mountains and Sonoma Coast and farm each site entirely on its own terms. Trout Gulch is their southernmost vineyard, three and a half miles from the ocean, planted in uplifted marine sandy soil that keeps everything cool and mineral even as the wine itself goes rich and generous in the glass. Jancis Robinson wrote up Trout Gulch Chardonnay’s from the 2022 vintage as one of very few standout Chardonnays that year, superbly balanced.

small production, hard to find on a shelf, (it was worth the search), and we’re being generous to share it.

pair it with: grilled salmon, butter sauce, a water view if you can manage one.