2011 Ceritas Peter Martin Ray Chardonnay

Ceritas was started in 2005 by John Raytek and Phoebe Bass. The husband and wife team make wine from vineyard sources in the Santa Cruz Mountains, the west Sonoma Coast and Anderson Valley. Raytek is the winemaker and Bass, who grew up in a family that owns and manages vineyards, directs the farming operations for each Ceritas vineyard. Of particular note is Ceritas’ relationship with the Peter Martin Ray vineyards in the Santa Cruz Mountains. The historic vineyard dates to the 1940s and was the source for some of the earliest and most celebrated Chardonnay in California. Ceritas also sources grapes from Porter Bass vineyard on the Sonoma Coast, which is owned by Bass’ parents. Ceritas makes limited production Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, available primarily through Ceritas mailing list. The winery is in Santa Rosa.

Santa Cruz Mountains AVA includes high elevation territory in the counties of Santa Clara, Santa Cruz and San Mateo. The AVA follows the coast line from San Francisco to Monterey with elevations from 400 feet to 3,000 feet above sea level. There are 1,500 vineyard acres and the AVA was established in 1981. Despite the challenging terrain in these rugged mountains and hills, highly esteemed wineries have been located here since the early 20th century, when Paul Masson, a Frenchman by birth, started making sparkling wine in the area. By the 1970s vineyards were growing Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Numerous microclimates within the AVA offer viticulturists diverse growing conditions, and many varietals are grown successfully.

This white variety originated in Burgundy, but is now grown around the world. Its flexibility to thrive in many regions translates to wide flavor profile in the market. Chardonnay is commonly used in making Champagne and sparkling wines.