2019 Ceritas Pinot Noir Cuvee Chloe
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Tasting notes
The 2019 Pinot Noir Cuvée Chloé emerges from 3 blocks on the DuMOL estate, all tightly spaced blocks on hard sandstone. Swan, 943 and Calera clone Pinots are fermented separately and then blended. Sweet red cherry, plum fruit, blood orange and exotic spice abound. Soft and understated, with lovely mid-palate sweetness, the 2019 will be ready to drink with minimal cellaring. The Chloé is a bit less complex than some of the other wines in this range.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
Just east of the town of Occidental is the Senna vineyard in the coolest part of the Green Valley, often colder than vineyards found at higher elevations. Here, due to the lower elevation, the fog sweeps into the site earlier and stays longer than sites closer to the coast. It was planted 15 years ago using the shy-bearing Swan clone, a suitcase clone supposed to have been brought back from La Tâche. Shallow sandstone soils coupled with dry farming and slow-ripening metre by metre spacing allows the naturally small vines to produce small clusters of intense, pea-sized berries. Transparent ruby. Mmm. Very convincingly subtle nose. Beautiful palate entry and robust and earthy in the old California way but well-made enough not to be rustic. Thoroughly satisfying. Long and the most satisfying blend of Burgundian nose and Californian palate. But not sweet! Lots of fine tannin and it obviously has a real future. (JR)
About the producer
Created in 2005 by John Raytek, Ceritas is one of California’s most exciting producers. The project is focused on making single-site wines from Northern California’s coastal regions, largely Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.