Tag Archives: Truchard Vineyards

60 Second Wine Review — Ceja Pinot noir

A few quick thoughts on the 2011 Ceja Vineyards Pinot noir from Carneros.

The Geekery

Ceja was founded in 1999 by first generation Mexican-Americans Amelia Ceja, her husband Pedro, Pedro’s brother Armando and his wife Martha. The roots of Ceja Vineyards dates back to 1983 when the Cejas purchased 15 acres in Carneros. Planted with vines in 1986, the vineyard eventually expanded to 115 acres. For years, the Cejas sold their fruit to local wineries. Even after establishing their winery, Ceja still sells around 85% of their fruit. However, the plots are kept for the winery’s 10,000 case production.

They practice sustainable viticulture with Ceja Vineyards winning a California Green Business Award in 2017. Also in 2017, Amelia Ceja was honored as the first and only Mexican-American woman to own a winery at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History’s Winemakers Dinner.

Located on the Napa side of the Los Carneros AVA, Jancis Robinson and Linda Murphy in American Wine describe Ceja as one of the “Steady Hands” in Carneros. Along with Truchard Vineyards, Schug and Gloria Ferrer, Ceja is noted for consistently producing reliable wines.

While the topic of high alcohol in California Pinot noir is contentious, Ceja regularly keeps their wines under 14%. This 2011 Pinot clocks in at 13.9%

The Wine

Photo by Iain Thompson. Uploaded to Wikimedia Commons under CC-BY-SA-2.0

The fresh forest floor notes adds lots of complexity to this Pinot.

High intensity nose. Rose petals, red cherries, spice and fresh forest floor earthiness. Not that dissimilar from a Beaune Pinot noir.

On the palate, the red fruit and spice carries through with medium-plus acidity adding mouthwatering juiciness. The earthiness is present but takes a back seat to the fresh fruit though it re-emerges on the long finish. Medium tannins and medium body add nice balance.

The Verdict

Very beautiful Pinot noir that is quite enjoyable on its own but would truly shine on the table. The combination of balance, mouthwatering acidity and complex flavors gives it flexibility to pair with a variety of dishes.

This Ceja Pinot is well worth the $35-45 retail and definitely shines among its Carneros peers.

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60 Second Wine Review — Lloyd Chardonnay

Some quick thoughts on the 2014 Lloyd Cellars Carneros Chardonnay.

The Geekery

Robert Lloyd is a veteran winemaker with more than two decades of experience working for the top names in California. He started out working in the cellar and tasting room of Cakebread. He then moved to Stag’s Leap Wine Cellars before finishing his Masters of Enology at UC-Davis in 1999 while interning at Kent Rasmussen.

After graduation, he worked at La Crema as a winemaker before leaving for Rombauer in 2001. At Rombauer, he worked his way up from Assistant to Head Winemaker before leaving in 2008 to start his own winery.

The 2014 vintage of the Carneros Chardonnay is sourced from Sangiacomo Vineyards (including the Kiser, Home Ranch and Green Acres blocks) and Truchard Vineyards.

Other wineries that work with Sangiacomo fruit includes: La Follette, Sojourn Cellars, Rombauer, Barnett Vineyards, MacRostie, Sonoma-Loeb, B.R. Cohn, Adobe Road, Neyers, Athair and Saintsbury. From Truchard, outside of their own eponymous label, Nickel & Nickel makes a notable Chardonnay.

The Wine

Photo by Renee Comet. Released on Wikimedia Commons under PD from National Institutes of Health images

Julia Child would love this wine and appreciate its balance.

Medium-plus intensity nose that is a mix of ripe tropical fruits like pineapple and citron as well oak baking spice. Not as much sweet vanilla on the nose as I would have expected with his Rombauer pedigree.

On the palate the wine is very full-bodied and creamy–there’s the Rombauer! But the wine also has medium-plus acidity that adds much needed balance and freshness that you usually don’t see in butter bombs. The ripe tropical notes carry through as well as the baking spices with a little bit of floral-ness on the long finish.

The Verdict

The Lloyd Cellars Chard is hedonism in a bottle and is tailor-made for anyone who likes luscious, buttery Chards. It is a very well-made example of its style with more freshness and balance than its Cali cohorts.

At around $40-45, it is priced in line with its peers though with its balance and depth, it probably could go up to the $55 range and still be a compelling bottle.

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