In 2006 Phoebe and I began hunting for a vineyard on the Sonoma Coast that we thought could fulfill our (hopes) designs on making pinot noir with great flavor development that was s till light on it s feet . We put a lot of miles on our Volkswagen and finally struck gold : an east - facing vineyard jus t under the viticulturally - famous Taylor Lane ridgeline, surrounded by redwood groves, and, as we discovered, planted in 1978.

The story only got better after we knocked on the front door of the vineyard's owner s, who gave us a closer look at the schist and quart z veins in the soil, and eventually agreed to let us farm the vineyard and buy the fruit that would become our Escarpa Vineyard Pinot Noir. With three vintages now in bottle (2007-2009), we're very proud of our first pinot vineyard and the stylistic benchmark for Ceritas pinot it 's helped us establish. The wines are moderate in alcohol and abundant in flavor and complexity. We've been thrilled with all three vintages with red fruit -driven flavor s, vibrant acidity, and a purity we usually associate with the best parcels of pinot noir anywhere in the world.