If you are visiting us for the first time, Welcome! The Wine Spies feature one exceptional wine each day – and we only bring you wines that we ourselves seek out and love. Always, the wines are great. Sometimes greater than great, as is the case with today’s wine from Ceja Vineyards.

LIBRARY RAID ALERT!: Our good friends at Ceja love our Operatives. For this sale, they dug deep into their personal library, making available the last 10 cases in the world of today’s wine. THANK YOU, CEJA! We are honored!

SAVINGS ALERT!: If you are lucky enough to grab 6 or more bottles of this great wine before we sell out, use coupon code SUPERSONOMA and we’ll give you Free Ground Shipping

EXCEPTIONAL WINE ALERT!: Ceja Wines are among our favorite California wines. Today’s wine is fantastic. We only wish there was more of it available…

Mission Codename: The Final Syrah

Operative: Agent Red

Objective: Respond to Top Secret communication from Ceja Vineyards, stating that their final ten cases have been made available, exclusively for our Operatives

Mission Status: Accomplished!

Current Winery: Ceja Vineyards

Wine Subject: 2004 Sonoma Coast Syrah

Winemakers: Armando Ceja

Backgrounder: Agent Red and our field Operatives fell in love with Ceja Vineyards Vino de Casa, a Red Blend featured here recently. What made such a big impression on Agent Red was what he described as “a perfect 50/50 flavor profile that, remarkably, evenly layers Pinot Noir and Syrah to give the wine 2 distinctly different flavors – an even balance of the two grape varietals made to create a remarkable red blend”. For todays mission, Agent Red returns to Ceja to taste their Syrah and to determine if this wine, this Sonoma Valley Syrah, is among the best he has tasted in California. Read the full mission briefing below for full details.

Wine Spies Tasting Profile:

Look – Ruby red to burgundy in color with perfect clarity with a deep and darkening heart of garnet, a bouncy surface, concentrated color to the edges fat, tightly-spaced legs

Smell – Dark, rich, juicy and and earthy with beautiful hit of fruit of dark stonefruit, blackberry, cherry, mild raspberry and mild smoked bacon

Feel – Round and slightly cooling at first, then slightly grippy with soft tannins that dry the lips, cheeks and tongue

Taste – This wine presents delicious and juicy Syrah flavors, but with a slight brightness that makes it unique. Here you will find balanced savory and fresh flavors of dark cherry, plum, smoky blackberry, white pepper, leather, rhubarb and cedar

Finish – Long, dry and slightly tart, this delicious leaves behind lingering and mouth watering flavors

Conclusion – Ceja wines always impress me with their drinkability, their spirit and their quality. Today’s wine is no exception. The only negative is that we could only get our hands on ten cases! I can’t complain, though, we are really honored that our friends at Ceja would give us their last ten cases. This exceptional wine is an easy drinker, but it has its sincere side, with deep flavors and rich aromatics. Enjoy now, and if you have the patience, cellar a few bottles for up to seven more years for a different experience.

Mission Report:

Ceja wines are SO good that this is the fourth time we have featured them here. Presented here, for your knowledge, is a re-telling of our first mission to Ceja Winery:

Between missions I was enjoying some downtime at my favorite Napa wine lounge, when an urgent dispatch came through on my Wine Spy handheld. Central Command had received a flurry urgent inquiries for a GREAT red wine – for less than $20.

“Leave your misconceptions behind”, was the clear directive. “Find us a wine that drinks well above its price, and find it TODAY!”

I had just one problem: I was hungry!

I asked the owner of the lounge where I could pick up great Mexican food. Before he could answer, I felt a hand on my shoulder. Turning as I reached instinctively for my corkscrew I saw young man with a flashing smile.

“Like Tacos?” he asked.

“Uhh. Yeah. Love ’em,” I replied.

“And great wine, too?”

“Who doesn’t?” I said.

“Follow me,” he said.

After a short car ride later we turned into the driveway for Ceja Vineyards, a winery that I had heard only great things about.

Stepping out of the car, the aromas hit me. Spices, beans, grilled meat and… red wine.

The young man, who introduced himself as Ariel Ceja, led me into a small outbuilding adjacent to the tasting room. Inside was smiling woman who hugged me as I entered. Ariel introduced me to his grandmother and invited me to sit down. Inside this room, the aromas were intoxicating.

Ariel handed me a glass of red wine, explaining that this was their family’s favorite wine. A deep sniff, a swirl and a taste was all it took for me to fall in love with their wine. The tacos were incredible as well and we laughed and shared stories. And more wine.

Postscript: After filing my report with Central Command, I spent the balance of the day with the Ceja family, eating, drinking, roaming their vineyards. It was hard to leave at the end of the day, but at least I left with a feeling that this day had been among my luckiest – and most rewarding – as a Wine Spy. I got to spend time with great people and enjoy their hospitality. And their great wine.

Wine Spies Vineyard Check:

The approximate location of Ceja’s Adobe Vineyards can be seen in this satellite photo.