Vineyards

The West Sonoma Coast is a dynamic, growing area for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Here the land and ocean meet dramatically; hillsides seem to rise straight out of the Pacific Ocean and reveal their long history of two tectonic plates colliding with one another for millennia. Kaleidoscopic soils provide a unique set of soil-driven terroir characteristics, and the oceanic fog permeates the vineyards daily. A few areas in the world are as special as this for growing world-class wines.

Nearly 18 years ago, a vineyard was planted by long-time industry friends in the northernmost reaches of the Fort-Ross Seaview sub-appellation of the West Sonoma Coast. When planted, the vine density (2400 vines/acre) was almost unheard of. The tight spacing resulted in small vines growing intense fruit while driving the roots deep into the hard sandstone soils with high concentrations of quartz. Organically and dry-farmed by our dear friend Greg Adams.

We source a small section of this vineyard planted using the revered Calera selection massale bud wood from the Ceritas Occidental Vineyard. This wine is an excellent parallel to the Occidental Pinot Noir as you get to see the differences between the two sites using the same clonal source. Small, tight clusters with small berries result in a wine of great depth and concentration while retaining a fantastic amount of natural acidity.

Just east of the town of Occidental is one of the sweet spots for making Pinot Noir. Planted 15 years ago, the shy bearing Swan clone was sourced as a suitcase clone from the famed La Tache vineyard in Vosne-Romanee. The Senna vineyard sits in the coolest part of the Green Valley, often colder than vineyards found at a higher elevation. Due to the lower elevation, the fog sweeps into the site earlier and stays longer than sites closer to the coast.

Shallow sandstone soils coupled with dry farming and meter by meter spacing allow the naturally small vines to produce small, intense, pea-sized berry clusters resulting in a wine with great intensity and finesse at the same time. Ripening in a meter-by-meter vineyard is much slower, allowing depth and concentration without sacrificing aromatic power and high natural acidities.

We’ve looked for Chardonnay of this caliber on the West Sonoma Coast for a long time. There is little world-class Chardonnay to go around from this area. We were approached by one of our favorite winemakers, Andy Smith of DuMol, in 2018 about being the first and only winery to make wine from their estate site located in the coldest part of Green Valley.

The vineyard was planted in 2004, using a unique selection of Old Wente Chardonnay, renowned for producing tiny clusters of zippy Chardonnay. The site is planted meter by meter, requiring the vines to ripen 10-12 clusters, resulting in a depth of flavor and complexity similar to Porter-Bass. Porter-Bass is cultivated using the same selection of Old Wente. Being so closely planted, the fruit sees little in the way of direct sunlight allowing the skins to thicken and provide a tannic backbone which should result in a wine from this vineyard aging a long time.

Ceritas’ viticulturalist, Greg Adams, was approached by a quality-focused family 15 years ago to plant a site in one of the most dramatic sites. We’ve longed to work with this site, and in 2018 the owners from Red Car Winery approached us with the idea to work with specific blocks of grapes from this site. We jumped at the opportunity.

Perched above the Freestone Valley sits the Zephyr vineyard smack in the bullseye of the coastal influences flowing between the Bodega Headlands and the Sebastopol Hills. Cold air sweeps across the low-lying coastal hills bringing in moisture-laden fog and scents of sea spray. The meager sandstone soils with little to no topsoil restrict the growth of the vines here, bringing near-perfect balance to the small crop they need to ripen. Zephyr is the last Chardonnay site that we harvest in the West Sonoma Coast, a full two weeks after Porter-Bass, Charles Heintz, and Carex. This is an exotic version of Chardonnay, unlike any other wine. Savory and salty with notes of green tea and star jasmine.

Tucked away just east of the town of Occidental, Charles Heintz Vineyard is one of the region’s oldest historic vineyard sites. This site begged for wine grapes, specifically Chardonnay, with its classic Goldridge sandy loam soils and the location just above the fog line, offering abundant sunshine with cool ocean breezes. These almost four-decade-old vines are among the oldest Chardonnay vineyards on the Sonoma Coast.

Defying conventional wisdom of the 1980s, Heintz Vineyard has since proven to be superb Chardonnay terroir, its inherent richness balanced by bright acidity and salty minerality. While the fruit ripens slowly due to vine age, patience has its rewards: the quality outstanding and the contrast of this Chardonnay to our other Chardonnays shows what this varietal is capable of. We happily share the organically farmed section with a fellow winery, Littorai.

In the late 1970’s Gard Hellenthal and David Hirsch began looking for vineyards north of Cazadero in the hills facing the Pacific. After securing land just to the east of Hirsch Vineyards, Gard planted the original vines at Hellenthal Vineyards. Two plantings went in – Old Shop Block and Elliott. We are fortunate enough to be the only winery sourcing fruit from the oldest vines on the property, affectionately known as the Old Shop Block.

This site captivates us for several reasons. The soil is a mixture of fractured sandstone and highly decomposed sandstone soils, which provide ideal grounds for Pinot Noir. Most importantly, the wine bears forth-great earth concentration, bright red fruit, and lingering tannins. Second, these dry-farmed vines are home to the own-rooted Calera clone – the only own-rooted vines that Ceritas farms- which allows a direct translation from the soil to the vine.

We like this neighborhood. Elliot Vineyard tucks itself between Hellenthal Vineyards and the easternmost boundary of the Hirsch Vineyard. We were drawn to this site, planted in 1981 to the Mt. Eden clone of Pinot Noir, partly because of its unique perch, but primarily because its soils offer what we look for in a Pinot vineyard.

These shale soils are intermixed with decomposed marine sediments with slightly less clay than the neighboring Hellenthal vineyard. No soil amendments are added, enabling the ground to impart pure influence upon the vines. Organically and dry-farmed by the Hellenthal family, this vineyard straddles the ridge of parent rock, giving it the unique position of facing north and south. We harvest this vineyard in multiple passes, thereby obtaining maximum site expression. The resulting wine is bright and delicate, offering light perfume and excellent transparency.

TBH, or “The Barlow Homestead” is the estate property of Paul and Kathryn Sloan, the proprietors of Small Vines. Originally a homestead for more than a century, Paul and Kathryn purchased the land and planted it in 2009. Paul, having assisted with the planting of the O’Connell vineyard, was familiar with the tremendous advantages of a dense planting strategy and employed the technique here.

TBH is effectively unprotected from the fog and wind rolling into the Green Valley via the Petaluma Gap. Some of the coldest nighttime temperatures in the Green Valley appear here, preserving the laser beam of acidity synonymous with the vineyard. The miniscule amount of wine we can make from the site reminds us of Trout Gulch - fresh and mineral, with a deep cut of absolutely delicious under-ripe citrus.

The Santa Cruz Mountains is a tale of two viticultural areas. The Northern Mountains, home to Peter Martin Ray, is dramatic. High elevations mountains reaching 2000+ feet limit the opportunities to grow grapes due to slope, forest, and unreachable land. Here the soils are hardened versions of sandstone, schist, and dark minerals. The fog fills the land’s folds with cool sunshine and oceanic breezes.

In contrast, the southern part of the appellation, home to Trout Gulch, relates more to the ocean than to the north. Here the vineyards are low lying, growing in old oceanic shallow seas with loose, sandy soils and marine sediments. The fog is drawn into the vineyards early in the morning and stays throughout most of the day. In these mountains in the early 2000s, we found our inspiration growing grapes and making wine for Rhys.

East of Corralitos sits Mt. Pajaro - a major part of the network of estate vineyards owned by Rhys. In 2023, we came to an agreement with Rhys to become the first winery to ever purchase fruit from their Santa Cruz Mountains holdings. We are sourcing coveted clonal selections of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from this bucolic oasis.

Mt. Pajaro captivated us for many reasons. Beyond the beautiful view, Mt. Pajaro enjoys a startling diversity of soils, stemming from an unusual splinter in the San Andreas Fault Line. The site is farmed to exacting precision by the Rhys crew, all of whom live and work on the ranch. The early Ceritas vintages here are chiseled and bright, with an unbelievable depth of flavor.

Mariana’s surrounds the family home of the Radonich family, who brought in Bill Brousseau to plant and farm a few acres of Cabernet Sauvignon on the gentle slope in 2015. The vineyard is like a garden - organically farmed with bonsai-esque attention to detail. Being the highest-elevation vineyard with which we work, Mariana’s is blessed with consistent alpine chill. The Cabernet Sauvignon we are farming here cannot ripen quickly and an extremely long hang time on the vine ensures the fruit is packed with wonderful depth of flavor and purity.

Our southernmost vineyard, Trout Gulch, sits a mere 3.5 miles from the ocean. Trout Gulch sits at 750 feet above the hamlet of Aptos in the southern Santa Cruz Mountains. The vineyard was planted in 1980 to Wente Chardonnay and Mt Eden Pinot Noir and is carefully tended to by winemaker/vigneron Richard Alfaro. Uplifted oceanic sandy soils create unique drainage sending the vines deep into marine-derived sub-soils. Tucked into a cool coastal redwood drainage allows temperatures here to stay cooler than expected – summertime highs rarely exceeding 80F.

This is our latest harvest of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The extended season and cold fall weather result in excellent fruit purity and naturally high acidity wines. The wines also capture a marine flavor unlike any of our other wines.

Mindego Ridge is located in the Northern reaches of the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA, just outside the small town of La Honda. It is one of two vineyards hidden amongst the twists and turns of Alpine Road (The other being Rhys Alpine). The Gollnick family has farmed the site since they planted it more than fifteen years ago. Dave Gollnick is meticulous - not a leaf out of place. Nestled between towering forests, dappled sunlight struggles to reach these vines. This, combined with frigid temperatures forces Mindego Ridge to ripen at the very end of harvest, often just before Trout Gulch.

The earliest vintages from this site offer something viscerally delicious - the shimmering ruby color hints at the palate, with vivid red fruit and mouthwatering acidity. A surprisingly rigid structure frames the wine, promising a long life ahead.

Nestled high in the hills at 1,800 feet above the town of Saratoga lays Peter Martin Ray vineyard, our highest site. This vineyard is steeped in history dating back to the 1920s when stockbroker-turned-winemaker Martin Ray planted the original Chardonnay vines. It was brave to grow in such meager Franciscan shale soils without any measurable topsoil.

When Martin Ray’s son, Peter Martin Ray, took over the farming of this site, he replanted the Mt. Eden clone of Chardonnay in the early 1980s and continued to work the Rixford clone Cabernet Sauvignon planted in the 1920s. The Cabernet Sauvignon is a throwback to the earliest Cabernet Sauvignon made in California. It is taught, vibrant, and boasts refined tannins and singularity unlike any Cabernet other than the neighboring Ridge Monte Bello wines. Small berries characterize the Chardonnay on tiny clusters; this fruit yields a distinctive wine for its salty, mineral palate, persistent flavors, and lingering finish. What makes this fruit so remarkable is a direct result of the vines’ constant struggle: raw farmed with minimal artificial input; the vines are constantly seeking water, nutrients, and sustenance from deep in the hillside.

The mountains of Napa Valley seem a world apart from the pastoral utopia down below. Here, twisted, crooked vines scratch a meager existence from predominantly volcanic and basalt-based soils. The five peaks enjoy bountiful sunlight, far above the fogline. The sheer elevations in these hills temper the effects of the powerful solar rays, keeping high temperatures roughly 10-15 degrees below the Valley floor.

Mountain terroir is impossible to hide in conditions such as these. We find tiny, turgid berries attached to loose clusters, holding mere drops of juice. Firm tannins result, surrounded by a surprising acidity that provides a juicy character to the dark, brooding fruit profiles.

We are deeply inspired by the long history of profound bottlings produced by legendary neighbors. We hope to add a voice to this conversation in years to come.

Our first foray into the mountains of Napa. The forty-year-old vines at Paratus cling to rough-hewn terraces cut into a nearly 30-degree slope at the peak of Mt. Veeder. The vineyard has been dry-farmed and organic since it was planted. While it is easy to appreciate the inimitable objective aspects of the site, hiking to the peak of the vineyard evokes a sense of awe as the valley below becomes visible.

We source a coveted block at the very top of the vineyard, grafted over to Clone 191 Cabernet Sauvignon in 2001 by Salvador Preciado. Yields in such depleted soils are paltry at best, providing a unique intensity to the finished wine. Paratus always has tremendous depth of fruit, and carefully timed harvest dates ensure that the palate is lifted, bright, and energetic.

One of the sites we longed to hold was the Occidental Vineyard on Taylor Lane. Steve Kistler planted this site (in partnership with the Dutton family) in 1990 using heritage selection massale Pinot Noir material. For many years, this site supplied grapes for his coveted Cuvee Catherine. The Dutton’s decision to sell the property in 2009 to Evening Land. On either side of the vineyard lies Theriot Vineyard (Littorai), and across the street is Summa (Rivers-Marie and William Seylem) and down the road is Que Syrah (Arnot Roberts).

Ceritas signed a long-term lease in 2016, allowing us to work the site as we would like. The site is ideally situated. South Facing. Heritage selection massale clonal material. Blue schist soils with moderate clay content. Well-drained due to underlying bedrock. Dry farmed. We could not be more excited about working with this site.

Being objective about this site is impossible for us: Phoebe grew up here after her parents moved from the east coast in 1980 expressly to farm this land. Why a family would uproot and relocate to a farm near the quiet town of Forestville is a story in itself. Suffice it to say that the lure of restoring an abandoned property on rolling hills, surrounded by redwood forest, a mere eight miles inland from the Pacific Ocean was too gre­­at to resist. And so, the restoration began in 1980.

Perched like a saddle between ridgelines in Pocket Canyon, the site benefits from cooling morning and afternoon fog, which rolls in reliably from the ocean. Shale and fractured sandstone soils are well suited to the Chardonnay planted in 1980 to the Old Wente Clone, followed in 2001 by Pinot Noir plantings of Swan and Calera clones. The vineyard is farmed biodynamically, with our blocks located on the north-facing side, allowing for an extended growing season.

We are thrilled to make wine from this vineyard in the Deep End of Anderson Valley, as it provides an insightful contrast to our Pinots from other appellations. The Deep End of Anderson Valley is renowned for an optimal growing area for cool-climate Pinot Noir due to cool ocean air penetrating the valley.

Named for the surrounding redwood forest, this southwest-facing vineyard sits on an elevated bench just above the valley floor, a stone’s throw from the town of Navarro. The vines were planted in 1995 to the Pommard clone in soils that are volcanic in origin and sandstone-based, with an attractive red hue revealing the more significant than average iron content. A high proportion of clay enables reliable water retention, keeping the vines hydrated throughout the growing season.

Just downhill from Peter Martin Ray vineyards is the Pinnacle Vineyard, the second of the two Santa Cruz mountain sites we farm. Planted in the 1970s to the Mt. Eden clone of Chardonnay, the southeast-facing vineyard rises 1,600 feet above Saratoga, on steep slopes of shale containing less clay than those at Peter Martin Ray. This is our oldest site.

We seized upon the opportunity to farm this tricky site: exposed vineyards at a 30% slope, dry-farmed, at high elevation. But with critical shade from the head-trained vines – the only head-trained vines we work with – and good drainage provided by the slope, the fruit reaps the benefits of a longer hang time and greater complexity of flavors at lower Brix. Consequently, the wine is brighter than its sister wine from the site above.

Escarpa has the distinction of being our closest vineyard to the coast, thus our coolest site, as well as the first Pinot Noir vineyard we farmed. Only 6 miles from the Pacific Ocean, it rests in a steep southeast-facing canyon perpendicular to neighboring Joy Road and experiences a very long growing season. Planted in 1978, the vineyard soils are unique to the Sonoma Coast and rarely found elsewhere.

Highly fractured soils, comprised of uplifted blue schist chert and quartz, intermixed with serpentine/greenstone, provide ideal drainage, while more refined clay facilitates water retention.

Often harvested as late as the second or third week of October, Escarpa fruit has established the stylistic benchmark for Ceritas Pinot Noir. Moderate in alcohol and abundant in flavor and complexity, this Pinot Noir displays darker fruits with excellent natural acidity, long fine tannins, and earth.