Ramey Wine Cellars

California

Chardonnay, Sonoma Coast

Sonoma Coast

$ USD

Release Price

Drink Window

14.5%

ABV

pH

TA

RS

Growing Conditions

70% Martinelli Charles Ranch Vineyard; 16% Platt Vineyard; 11% Frostwatch Vineyard; 3% Three Sisters Vineyard. These are cool sites, with low vigor soil such as Goldridge Loam. Some vineyards are planted to a larger-clustered clone—typically, UC Davis clone 4—or they might be a younger planting of a Wente or Dijon selection. This is the fifth vintage to be dominated by the Martinelli Charles Ranch on Bohan Dillon Road. Our Sonoma Coast bottling reflects its region and so is a bit crisper and leaner than our Russian River.

The 2012 growing season was close to ideal with temperate and steady temperatures that produced a long, moderate growing season with extended hang time and even ripening. In the cool reaches of the Sonoma Coast, harvest waited until the middle two weeks of October

Bottling

This wine was then bottled without filtration in February, 2014.

Winemaking

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

Aging

Our appellation Chardonnays are given less new oak—16% percent in 2012—and spend less time in barrel—twelve months–than the single-vineyard Chardonnays, but otherwise are made identically. After aging in barrel 12 months, it is fined and stabilized in tank 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.

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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.