Sonoma County

Medium

Cork

White

Ritchie is one of those Sonoma Chardonnay vineyards that has become a benchmark over time, and Ramey - a benchmark Sonoma Chardonnay producer - has been one of its longest-tenured partners. The vines were planted in the early 1970s, though subsequent interplanting over the decades has made the blocks a mix of ages. While the site is mostly planted to Old Wente, the pockets of Musqué clone running through the vineyard are a big part of what makes this wine so aromatic. David Ramey has long been a purist about Chardonnay, looking at Burgundy, but the use of new oak in the Ramey wines has gradually been reduced over the decades to what they say are 'homoeopathic levels' - barely perceptible year to year, but significant over time. Worth noting that 2023 will be the final vintage Ramey makes from this site, which is quite a shame. The wine opens with a perfumed, expressive nose of ripe fruit with a gentle tropical lean - white peach, sweet white flowers, and a thread of flint underneath. The palate is full and generous, but a lively acidity (the grapes in 2023 were picked almost three weeks later than in 2022) cuts through the richness and carries the wine to a nice finish.

Chardonnay

Ramey, Ritchie Chardonnay, Sonoma County, Russian River Valley, California, USA, 2023

15-Ramey,-Ritchie-Vineyard-2023.jpg

Ritchie is one of those Sonoma Chardonnay vineyards that has become a benchmark over time, and Ramey - a benchmark Sonoma Chardo

Ramey, Ritchie Chardonnay, Russian River Valley, Sonoma County, California, USA 2023

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