Ceritas’ first vintage was in 2005. Our small collective team, led by founder, John Raytek, can draw a map of the northern California coastal regions, including West Sonoma Coast, Santa Cruz Mountains, Moon Mountain, and Napa. We know this place inside and out – we ride our bikes through its rolling hills, we surf in its frigid waters, we take our kids mushroom foraging in the fog-drenched conifers – and you can see it in our wines. The wines are of this place and us.

Our wines are of time and place sourced from unique sites not shared by many or anyone. We hope to be creators in a legacy that will serve our generation and generations to come.

Trout Gulch sits in a narrow slot canyon due east from the sleepy town of Aptos in the Southern Santa Cruz Mountains. The vineyard’s proximity (less than 3 miles) from the Pacific Ocean makes this our coldest Chardonnay site. Cool ocean air is pushed up into the canyon in the evening and holds long into the morning, allowing the vines to ripen the grapes slowly and steadily. The uplifted oceanic floor soils are well-drained and do not retain heat, pushing the coolness deep into the root zone allowing a trickle of minerality to be absorbed daily. The most crystalline Chardonnay made by Ceritas.

Practicing Organic
• 100% Chardonnay
• Sourced from Trout Gulch Vineyard (Santa Cruz Mountains AVA)
• East facing site • Sand and lifted shallow seabed soils
• 35-40-year-old own-rooted vines
• Hand-harvested
• Crushed on the stem and pressed
• Fermented in 7–12-year-old barrels with complete malo
• Aged in barrel for 12 months on gross lees