I Swoon for Ceja Vineyards Wines!

During a recent trip to rejuvenating downtown Napa, CA, I had the good fortune to stumble upon the magnificent Ceja Vineyards tasting room. I will now wax rhapsodic about the fantastic wines created with love and attention by the Ceja family, their cozy and attractive downtown wine-tasting den, AND Michael Angelo Wray, their knowledgeable and attentive superman/tasting room attendant extraordinaire.

The story of Ceja makes my heart soar. It's the kind of tale that is the mission of "From The Farm" to tell. Ceja Vineyards is an ultra-premium Latino-family-owned winery in Napa Valley. It was founded by Amelia, Pedro, Armando, and Martha Ceja, all Mexican-American immigrants. Pedro and Armando's father was a migrant farm worker who came to Napa Valley over the course of a decade, working in the bracero programs. When he came back to Mexico to visit his family, he painted a picture of Napa as a true Eden. He moved the family to Napa in 1967. Both brothers worked hard, got a college education, and dreamed of having their own business — a winery in the Napa Valley. After working for others for many years, the brothers and their wives decided that it was time for them to make that dream come true by launching their own wine label in 1999. They had bought outstanding land in the Carneros District, and they began making their own wine. Ceja Vineyards was born.

Today, the firm’s 10,000 case annual output includes Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, a white blend, Pinot Noir, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, an unusual and sumptuous red blend of Pinot Noir and Syrah, plus a new dessert wine, Dulce Beso, and an incredible rosé made from Syrah and Pinot Noir called Bella Rosa. The Cejas' dedication to sustainable agriculture and Armando's gentle handling of the grapes is abundantly evident in the amazing wines they have produced. The wines are lower in alcohol, extremely food friendly, and well crafted all around.

The tasting room itself is elegant and understated. It's the kind of place where you want to sink into the posh leather chairs with friends and linger over a glass of wine and good conversation. Michael Angelo Wray, CWP, is knowledgeable and generous with sharing helpful and really interesting information about each wine he pours. He is attentive and truly interested himself in the wines, the Ceja family, and the people who visit the tasting room.

My husband and I swooned over every single one of the wines Michael poured for us. The house white blend and the house red blends were outstanding and a bargain at $20 per bottle. We bought one of each. The red blend is 62% Pinot and 38% Syrah. It's bursting with cherry, plum, cocoa, and toasted vanilla flavors. We found the wine opened with Pinot characteristics, including a touch of blueberry, and finished with the full fruitiness of Syrah. The white blend was wonderful with melon, bright citrus, and marzipan flavors. It's a blend of 60% Pinot Grigio, 36% Semillon, and 4% Viognier, the last of which gives it a touch of silky smooth body and subtle heft. You can imagine it going very well with seared scallops.

Michael had some other surprises and treats for us. We tasted a magnificent 100% Sauvignon Blanc that shone with ruby grapefruit and key lime with a very discernible hint of guava. The wine was not at all grassy, had only the slightest hint of oak, and was very round and full in the mouth. We also tried a supple and complex 100% Merlot that was not a tannic juggernaut, a 100% Syrah that did not hit us on the head with hot alcohol and cloying jam, a far cry from the usual over-done Syrahs we're getting today. Michael told us that because the grapes are grown in the Southern part of Carneros, where cool breezes temper the Napa heat, the fruit is less ripe and prone to flabbiness.

Lucky us, we also got to taste two incredible, unusual wines. The first was a rosé blend made of Pinot Noir and Syrah in which the wine sits on the macerated skins for 24 hours instead of the usual 6 to 8 hours. The color is like translucent garnets, rather than the insipid Kool-Aid pink of most rosés. The flavors were of pomegranates, roses, and cranberries, mostly dry, but with the most subtle touch of sweetness. We bought one of those for $26 to take home, too. Last, we tried the scrumptious Dulce Beso ("Sweet Kiss") dessert wine, which is a prime case of making lemonade when life gives you lemons. After an outbreak of botrytis struck their vineyards in 2006, the Cejas decided to make the most of the situation by taking the now mold-concentrated Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay grapes from their harvest and turning them into a delicious dessert wine with floral aromas, subtle fruit flavors, and an almost honey-mead finish. This was a good one, and worth the $50 a bottle pricetag.

The wines are so good, the family so genuine and so dedicated to the earth and their wines, that we plan to feature Ceja Vineyards in a coming episode of the Internet television show of "From The Farm" launching on this site on August 27 (See above).

In the meantime, we strongly urge you to visit the Ceja tasting room. Located at 1248 First St., the tasting room is open from noon to 6 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and from noon to 10 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Go to the Ceja Vineyards website to check out updates about salsa night at the tasting room and other fun events. Whatever you do, please visit the Ceja tasting room. Michael will certainly treat you right.