2007 Ceja Vino de Casa Red Wine

I had the pleasure last night of enjoying a wonderful bottle of wine courtesy of samples sent to me by Amelia Ceja of Ceja Vineyards. The 2007 Vino de Casa is a blend of Pinot Noir and Syrah to which Amelia commented "I'm delighted you enjoyed our breakfast, lunch and dinner wine."I will describe what characteristics I liked in a moment, but the story behind the family and the wine really touched me.

Ceja Vineyards website www.cejavineyards.com tells the story of a man's dream to one day own his own vineyard but more importantly his family was involved along the way. Pablo Ceja had found a beautiful place in America (St Helena in Napa Valley), fell in love and one day would move his family to California. In 1967 the dream became reality and the family moved to California. The Ceja family was growing in numbers as the years past but true to their values they all contributed working together. Because of what happened in 1983 we as wine drinkers in my opinion are spoiled as this is when Pedro, Amelia, Armando, Pablo and Juanita purchased their first small piece of land. The vineyard had begun. Today there are over 113 acres producing grapes for their wine production. Family is still very important with new generations of Ceja's working the family business. While I touched on some of the highlights of the Ceja history I hope you visit their website and read their entire story start to where they are today. I hope it touches you and reiterates how important family is especially during the holiday season. Now you all want to know how I liked the wine :)

When I poured my first glass the wine gave the appearance of richness and smooth as glass. The juicy cherry was the first aroma, fresh and ripe. Second I could smell rich dark fruit (dark cherry/berry, plum), a perfect balance of spice and a hint of oak. Excited and time to taste.

I enjoyed this wine by itself. The cherry flavor is outstanding at the beginning followed closely by what I would categorize as a combination black cherry/berry, followed by spice and a smooth silky finish. With each drink the flavors compliment each other perfectly and leaves you wanting more. My compliments to Armando, Amelia and all the staff for a wonderful wine. I will need to have a bottle of this wine on hand to share with friends and celebrate as the Ceja's would.

Cheers
Dan