Ceras is one of Antica Terra’s single-site or single-barrel Pinot Noir expressions, distinct from the estate’s flagship Botanica in its emphasis on a chiselled, mineral and oceanic character. Winemaker Maggie Harrison’s approach at Antica Terra involves deciding each year, from scratch, which barrels belong together in which cuvee, with no fixed formula applied between vintages. The Ceras name refers to the geological and saline character of the site, evoking the fossilised marine sediment beneath the vineyard.

The 2023 vintage in Oregon followed the extraordinary 2022 season, with winemakers at Beaux Frères and other estates noting that 2023 would reach its optimal drinking window sooner than the more structured 2022. Antica Terra describes the Ceras as a wine of “minerality and delicacy,” an oceanic expression of the geology beneath the land with tart blue fruits and the wild herbs of the Northwest forest. James Suckling awarded the 2023 vintage 97 points, noting its volcanic minerality and structural vivacity.

Ceras represents the expressive, more immediately approachable side of Antica Terra’s portfolio, though in absolute terms it remains a wine of considerable intellectual depth and cellaring ambition. The estate’s position at the top of the Willamette Valley hierarchy has only strengthened in recent years, with critical consensus placing Antica Terra alongside the finest domestic Pinot Noir producers. The 2023 offers a more accessible entry point to the estate’s style than the more tightly wound Botanica of the same vintage.