Opened a '13 Marena Chard a couple weeks ago and thought it was fantastic. Haven’t tried any of the '14s yet.
After having some 1985 Olga Raffault Picasses, I needed to be brought back to the local neighborhood. I opened a 12 PB Chardonnay. Man do they know how to make chard. Juicy, yeasty, oily, bit of petrol, green, acid, citrus. While drinking very well now, this has 5-10 years of life. I have a magnum that should easily go out the 10 years or more. Porter Bass is their best vineyard in my view (although Ritchie was a close runner up).
Steve, I got’s to agree with youze… ![[thumbs-up.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/f/f84c5acc11486ee4baba6dee6cf61dbd133abb18.gif "[thumbs-up.gif]"){kind=small}
TTT
Heintz isn’t too shabby either.
Russ, Heintz is a beauty.
The three - PB, Ritchie (no longer at Ceritas) and Heintz - are sufficiently different to each be equally wonderful. The finishing is what binds them together - probably earlier harvest, low oak, less lees contact or sturring (my guesses) allowing for a consistent product year over year but variable enough to keep it interesting. Site selection has sure been in their favor. They started with a wine making method that works and stayed with it.
Ceritas experts please help me out. The 2015 vintage is my first purchase of their Chardonnays. Which one do you think I could try now, and how long do I need to wait to get the full experience? TIA
Peter - these are not made in a drink me upon release style. The beauty of these is they are built to age and improve significantly with 6-8 years from vintage and will continue to show well beyond that.
Referring to to 2012 Porter Bass Chard, some recent tasting notes from the winery suggested that this might shut down soon.