2015 Ramey Wine Cellars Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard Russian River Valley 750 ml

Back on Wine Access is Spectator’s “Professor Chardonnay”

If there was a Mount Rushmore of California Chardonnay producers, winemaker David Ramey would fall squarely in the same position as George Washington. It’s been two years since we’ve offered a Ramey Chardonnay, but the wait is finally over, and our timing couldn’t be better. 

On the cover of Wine Spectator’s Annual Chardonnay Report was just one bottle: Ramey. It should come as no surprise, because Ramey is California’s greatest producer of Grand Cru-worthy Chardonnay. We’d need to author a novel to do justice to the man and his accolades, but we’ll cut to the chase: Today, for a short time, we have 45 cases of the 96-point 2015 Ramey Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard up for grabs from one of Sonoma’s greatest Chardonnay sites. 

Other buyers of Ritchie fruit are legends in their own right—DuMol and Arista go for $75+ while Aubert fetches $175, but Ramey competes and wins against esteemed Chardonnays from across the Golden State. Directly from Ramey Wine Cellars, this 2015 Ritchie with its “caramelized citrus, lemon curd, salty minerality and loads of marzipan characteristics,”  “full body,” and “rich, powerful texture,” comes in on par with Chardonnay powerhouses like TOR ($84), Lynmar ($70), and Alpha Omega ($100). 

When it comes to describing David Ramey’s impact on California Chardonnay, we just can’t say it any better than Spectator’s Kim Marcus whose July 2019 story, “Professor Chardonnay” spelled it out plainly:

“Ramey, now 68, can rightly be called the Professor of California Chardonnay, a winemaker’s winemaker who has published academic papers, pushed boundaries in the cellar and pursued the classic Burgundian techniques that are the benchmarks for Chardonnay around the world. His influence has been profound, grounded in tradition, research and experience, all driven by a vision that has helped reset the equation for great California Chardonnay.”

Even his serious competitors can’t hold back their praise for his work: “He’s an absolute icon and pioneer to be sure,” Matt Courtney of Arista told Spectator.  “When you think about California Chardonnay, he’s on the Mount Rushmore,” he said. 

Here’s why:  

In Russian River, nightly fog rolls in off the Pacific, blanketing Ramey’s single-vineyard sites until late morning when the fog gives way to bright and vivid sunshine. Grapes retain stark natural acids and ripen slowly during the day, allowing for long hangtimes and terrific flavors to develop. Ramey then follows a Burgundian winemaking script—what does that mean? He focuses on complex flavor development supported by a framework of taut, juicy acidity and he’s mastered that balancing act, delivering Chardonnays with loads of pleasure upfront, but capable of long cellaring. His trick has been to utilize barrel fermentation, which contributes a richer mouthfeel, while malolactic fermentation softens the laser-like natural acidity in his Russian River grapes. 

Ritchie Vineyard sits on Sonoma’s famous Sandy Goldridge Loam soils and literally eyes Kistler’s iconic Block 7 site directly across Trenton-Healdsburg Road. Ritchie falls smack in the center of the Russian River appellation and Ramey’s block, planted by Kent Ritchie in 1972, is comprised of Old Wente Clones, which eke out thick-skinned, small berries that possess fabulous concentration and phenolic complexity. In short, this is ground zero for California’s best Chardonnay vineyards. 

Ramey’s expression of Ritchie is one-of-a-kind, drawing a string of critical praise that shows consistency across professional tasting notes—from layers of lemon peel, curd and citrus, to the kind of “richness,” “precision,” and “raciness,” that make clear two things: for California Chardonnay lovers this is Nirvana; for everyone else…welcome to Nirvana.