Ramey Wine Cellars

California

Chardonnay, Russian River Valley

Russian River Valley

$42 USD

Release Price

Drink Window

14.5%

ABV

pH

TA

RS

Growing Conditions

Coming from special vineyard sites, our Chardonnays show great depth of flavor, length of finish, aromatic complexity, and a fine balance between richness and delicacy. Typically, the climate is cool and the soil vigor low, producing graceful yet vibrant wines.

January and February 2015 were the warmest on record, resulting in early budbreak. Cooler, wetter weather in spring months slowed development, however, leading to a challenging, extended bloom period. The resulting uneven fruit set translated to a small crop and smaller berries with very concentrated flavors. The unusually early budbreak resulted in an unusually early harvest.

Bottling

Bottled without filtration in February, 2017.

Winemaking

We press whole clusters for phenolic delicacy. Native-yeast and full native malolactic fermentation take place in barrel, with sur lies bâtonnage.

Aging

After aging 12 months in 21% new French oak barrels (François Frères, Taransaud, & Vicard), the Chardonnay was traditionally fined for clarity during the following harvest.

More from this Producer

Ramey Wine CellarsChardonnay, Platt Vineyard, Sonoma Coast

The Platt Vineyard is our coolest site, producing wine that is more focused and mineral driven than fruit driven. Located five miles from the Pacific off Bodega Highway, midway between Sebastopol and Bodega Bay, the vineyard sits at 800' on a south-facing slope overlooking the Estero Americano (which funnels cooling marine weather to the Sacramento delta via the Petaluma Gap). Platt was planted in 2003 Wente selection Chardonnay collected from one of our Hyde Vineyard blocks, the rows are densely planted (3' and 4' by 6') on low-vigor rootstock (420A). In 2010, we removed the Chardonnay trunks from three acres of our 16 acre block and grafted Pommard and 828 Dijon Pinot Noir clones to the rootstock. Located five miles from the Pacific off Bodega Highway, midway between Sebastopol and Bodega Bay, the vineyard sits at 800' on a south-facing slope overlooking the Estero Americano (which funnels cooling marine weather to the Sacramento delta via the Petaluma Gap). Soil is Goldridge Loam uplifted from ancient ocean floor. Planted on low-vigor rootstock (420A) to the Wente selection chosen from one of our Hyde Vineyard blocks. The rows were densely planted (3' and 4' by 6') in 2003.

Ramey Wine CellarsCabernet Sauvignon, Annum, Napa Valley

Ramey Wine CellarsSyrah, Sonoma Coast

Ramey Wine CellarsCabernet Sauvignon, Pedregal Vineyard, Oakville

Site: “Pedregal” means a rocky place in Spanish, and that is certainly a distinguishing feature of the site. This is a small, hillside vineyard on the lower slopes of eastern Oakville that is planted to 85% Cabernet Sauvignon and 15% Petit Verdot. In 2008, we agreed to a long-term lease of this vineyard giving us complete control even through change in ownership. Soil: Iron-rich red soil, 85% basalt rock Clonal Selection: The Cabernet Sauvignon is Clone 7. The Petit Verdot is Sterling selection. Planted: The Cabernet Sauvignon was planted on St. George and 110R rootstock with 4'x8' spacing in 1990. The Petit Verdot was planted on 110R rootstock with 4'x6' spacing in 1993.