"Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com 97 Points
Sonoma’s Sensational 2021s - The 2021 Pinot Noir Elliott is another tremendous wine in this range. Dark and sumptuous, the 2021 saturates the palate with intense dark [berries]. This is an especially generous style for the West Sonoma Coast, but that is not a bad thing. There's tremendous presence and stature here. Drinking Window 2025 - 2033"
The mission at Ceritas is to craft single vineyard expressions of place through Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The sources for their fruit along the Sonoma Coast and westernmost Russian River Valley were carefully chosen for their winegrowing merits and also for their singularity. Each allows them the opportunity to craft balanced and distinct wines which will stand out on the dinner table, thier wines are reflective of the growing seasons and soils from which they came. In the vineyard sustainable farming practices are followed, dictated by observation and empiricism rather than by prescriptive farming.
All of their vineyard sites are either farmed bio-dynamically or are in the initial stages of being converted to biodynamic farming methods. They believe that biodynamic farming methods, and focused and site-specific attention, give the vines the greatest opportunity to experience each growing season, to respond accordingly, and ultimately to yield grapes with the unmistakable flavours and smells of their time and place.
John Raytek - "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"
Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com
John Raytek presented a stunning set of 2021s. The Pinots are brilliant across the board. Whole cluster inclusion is quite high, 60-80% on average, but the stem influence is so subtle and is mostly felt in the wine's salinity and energy rather than flavor profile, a tell-tale sign of a superior year. The 2021s spent 12 months in barrel and then a few months in tank. Chardonnay also stars in 2021. Like so many wines in this vintage, the Chardonnays need a ton of air to show at their best. Élevage for the Chardonnays is about 10-11 months in barrel and then 5-6 months in tank, depending on the year, prior to bottling. One of the recent changes here has been a move towards thicker-staved 300-liter barrels for the Chardonnays, which help preserve heat in fermentation and then reduce contact with oxygen during aging. As a complement to the more neutral wood imprint in general, new oak usage is up a touch. Raytek has made his name with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, but Cabernet Sauvignon will soon play a bigger role in this expanding range. Readers will want to take a close look at the 2020 Colima Cabernet Sauvignon for a hint of what is coming down the road. This is an exciting set of wines from top to bottom.
