Ceritas Chardonnay Marena 2023

Marena is the entry point into the Ceritas Chardonnays and the best introduction to the house style. John Raytek and Phoebe Bass founded Ceritas in 2005, and their wines are made in tiny, allocated quantities from organically farmed cool-coast sites. Marena is a blend of selections from several Sonoma Coast vineyards, including Charles Heintz, the younger vines at Porter-Bass and Occidental Valley, and in some years a south-facing block at Zephyr. Because it uses fruit that is a little more forward and generous than the single-vineyard bottlings, it is the wine to drink early. All of it is hand-harvested and fermented with native yeasts in neutral French oak, to build texture from the lees without adding oak flavour, followed by a complete native malolactic fermentation. It then spends 12 months in neutral oak, plus a few months in stainless steel to consolidate.

The result is lean, fresh and elegant, with the nervy acidity and chiselled minerality the house is known for. The 2024 shows pear, Marcona almond, beeswax and fresh flowers, with a satin texture and a long finish, and other vintages offer citrus peel, white flowers, chalk, white pepper and mint, with lemon confit and apricot.