Ceritas Mindego Ridge Pinot Noir, Santa Cruz Mountains, USA 2022
Mindego Ridge is located in the Northern reaches of the Santa Cruz Mountains AVA, just outside the small town of La Honda. It is one of two vineyards hidden amongst the twists and turns of Alpine Road (The other being Rhys Alpine). The Gollnick family has farmed the site since they planted it more than fifteen years ago. Dave Gollnick is meticulous - not a leaf out of place. Nestled between towering forests, dappled sunlight struggles to reach these vines. This, combined with frigid temperatures forces Mindego Ridge to ripen at the very end of harvest, often just before Trout Gulch.
The earliest vintages from this site offer something viscerally delicious - the shimmering ruby color hints at the palate, with vivid red fruit and mouthwatering acidity. A surprisingly rigid structure frames the wine, promising a long life ahead.
"A transparent, youthful ruby hue, the 2022 Pinot Noir Mindego Ridge is from south of the bay in the Santa Cruz Mountains and shows off a refined and lifted profile. The nose offers a wild bouquet of pine, fresh herbs, cranberry, and rosehip. Medium-bodied, it is linear with fine tannins and fresh acidity that retains finessed tension, and it never becomes austere. It’s going to drink fantastically over the next 12 years." Jeb Dunnuck 95
