About the Wine

David Ramey has an extremely dense resume, with a history of winemaking at Matanzas Creek, Chalk Hill, Dominus, and Rudd all before founding Ramey Wine Cellars. The wines made at Ramey are classic California, showcasing a purity of fruit with the classic weighty profile that every California wine drinker craves. The Ritchie Vineyard was one of the first single-vineyard labels from Ramey. David has been using fruit from this vineyard since 2002 because of its high quality and consistency. 

"David Ramey doesn't get anywhere near the attention he deserves. Today, it seems the focus is on extremes as the wine world is increasingly about a polarization of so-called 'very ripe' wines versus the more 'restrained' style. Ramey's wines are neither, but rather bring together the best of both schools of thought. The Chardonnays combine distinctly Californian expressions of site with Burgundian concepts of aging where the wines spend a full 18 months in barrel, something that is rarely seen in this country. The results speak for themselves. These are among the very best Chardonnays being made in California." - Antonio Galloni on Ramey

David’s groundbreaking work with indigenous yeasts, sur lies aging, whole-cluster pressing and malolactic and barrel fermentation yielded a new California style that was richer, more lush and silky smooth than previously known. As a result, he created a benchmark style now emulated by many.

The 2018 season was exemplary. Spring was drier than in 2017 and after two years of poor set, consistently mild weather led to good berry set. Higher cluster counts than the low yielding years of 2015-2017, coupled with cooler late summer temperatures, brought longer hangtimes with harvest dates up to two weeks later than the previous vintage.

Ageing: 12 Months in 15% New French Oak Barrels

Tasting Notes: 100% Chardonnay. The wine jumps out of the glass with intense floral aromas and bright orchard fruit. On the palate, this is silk, stone fruit, and honey dominate, with a long lingering finish and a bright acidity. 

Reviews

The 2018 Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard is wound up at this early stage and will require at least 2-3 years to blossom in bottle. The nose offers pure lilac, beeswax and apricot perfume with honeyed undertones, while the silky, fresh, mineral-driven palate gains amplitude on the long finish. 767 cases were made. ~94+ Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

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