Ceritas, Pinnacle Vineyard Chardonnay, Santa Cruz Mountains

Medium lemon in the glass, with aromas of white flowers, lemon, and a hint of chalk. Medium-bodied with a sappy finish highlighting citrus again, drinking well but will not improve & on the downslope today.

2012 vintage

Built for those that need something more than buttery Napa. My first of this provider. There's a great nose of honeysuckle, cream and balanced acidity. Some citrus, apple and pear with a bead of salinity. Very nice for starters! Thanks, Ken!

2012 vintage

Not at all your typical CA Chardonnay. Lean, but with excellent acidity, keeping this very light on its feet. You get a big dose of lemon curd, bits of lime and strong mineral and oyster shell notes. Probably lacks some of the depth and complexity that you get from the best Ceritas wines, but this was still really good. The Chablis-like comparisons are not out of place. I don't think this is any danger of falling apart, but it's also …

2012 vintage

Very light on its feet, with laser acidity and focus. Minerals and lemon. Very enjoyable.

2012 vintage

Brought to an offline, paired against a 2015 Cameron Clos Electrique chard. Ceritas showed more maturity given the three year age difference. Showed nice lemon curd, minerals, and rocks.

2012 vintage

Lemon & mineral aromas. The palate matches adding herbal & yellow apple notes. Fully mature, medium acid/minerals. Unlikely to improve further but should drink well through its 10th birthday.

2012 vintage

First whiff said lemon peel and jasmine. Tastes like lemon curd, with a creamy lemon roundness followed by sea water and dashi. Strangely, this does actually remind me of a softer style Chablis. I usually don’t say this because most of the time on CT when people say a California Chardonnay tastes like Chablis they are dead wrong, but something about this one strikes the same chord. Nice.

2012 vintage

Lots of lemon curd. A bit soft on opening, but firmed up with more air. Longer decant? It held up well to the mildly spicy red pepper in our food, and seemed to be better for it.

2012 vintage

Medium hay gold in color, starts out with some nice medium intensity fruit, good acidity, then turns a bit tight, losing some depth through the mid-late palate, finishing quite mineral, with just a hint of saline. Would like just a bit more depth and intensity. Edit: well, the wine was originally open and aerated for an hour or so, but now it's had another couple of hours, and seems to be gaining intensity and depth, more saline through the finish, …

2012 vintage

Lots of flowers and fruit. Good balance. Drink or hold.

2012 vintage

Bright, mostly lemon curd on the most and palate. Given the age has a plush mouthfeel, though still tart on the finish. Finishes with steel and stone nuances.

2012 vintage

Beautiful. A bit of everything while bring balanced and lemon. Low alc.

2012 vintage

Very impressive and balanced. Lemon, cream, and gunflint on this. Excellent complexity. Drink or hold.

2012 vintage

Popped and poured, pale straw tinged with green. Delightful aromas of lemon verbena, green apple, honeysuckle, sea spray and an impression of chalky minerals. Moderate body, deceptively concentrated. Sour apples, stone fruits, sliced pear and even a hint of the tropical...awesome fruit. The finish is accentuated by an impression of saline minerals that's carried by plus acidity. This is truly fantastic, just some killer Chard! Quick comment: If opening soon, give this a good 45-60 minutes -- goes from "good" …

2012 vintage

Opened and added some chill via some ice. Then, to the glass. Bit of oak shows, both toasted and vanilla aromatics. Lots of lemon here, light river rock and very much medium weight. Basic complexity, more elegant in tone. Ready to drink, I'd say.

2012 vintage

Really nice, complex chardonnay. Crisp, fruit forward, lingering finish of tropical fruits.

2012 vintage

It's not that this is a bad wine, but let's say this note is the anti-AFWE backlash. You think maybe they could have had a bit more patience and let the grapes ripen a bit. It is not necessary to pick the grapes so early that you are worried about the effect of the high acidity on your tooth enamel. I checked the website and there are no tech sheets, so I can't tell if it is actually or perceived …

2012 vintage

Opened, poured a little out to offer a glass to a friend, re-corked and then served about 30 minutes later. Light color, reminding me of a sauvignon blanc. Nose shows grapefruit peel and some honeysuckle. Fresh flavor of lemon, peach skin and white grapefruit. Good acidity but not shrill or overly tart. Light in flavor but enjoyable and quite fresh. Label states 12.2% abv.

2012 vintage

12,2% abv. Pale gold color--less color than the other CA Chards I've been opening this month. Delicate white flowers on the nose (apple blossoms?) verbena, and hint of celery leaves. This was quite acidic on the palate. While I like this, I have had other Chards from Ceritas that I would rate higher than this one. I had this with shrimp scampi and wild rice. It had enough acid to cut through a creamy sauce on pasta or fish.

2012 vintage

corked

2012 vintage

Lemon and citrus. A touch of cream. Light and sharp acid. Wow!

2012 vintage

Lemon, pear and chive/green onion notes. Piercing acidity and really great focus. Compelling wine done well.

2012 vintage

Similar to my previous bottle. Drinking well.

2012 vintage

Chardonnay Shootout (Chez Kailin - Northbrook IL) : Tasted blind in young Chardonnay flight. Orchard fruit throughout with floral notes. Moderate weight and nunace. Well balanced. Easy to enjoy. I mistakenly thought this was from Burgundy.

2012 vintage

Closed off but still crisp and fresh. Lots of lemon, toasted bread, flowers, and stone. Needs several more years.

2012 vintage

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Ceritas, Pinnacle Vineyard Chardonnay, Santa Cruz Mountains

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