2016 Ramey Wine Cellars Pinot Noir Russian River Valley Sonoma County 750 ml

Decanter has written that “David Ramey is one of California’s best and most respected winemakers,” while Wine Spectator has listed numerous wines in their Top 100 lists and declared he has a “Master’s Touch.” From Ramey’s early days in Sonoma at Matanzas Creek to Chalk Hill in the mid-1980s then Dominus and Rudd in Napa in the 1990s, he’s done it all by crafting world-class Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah—and now Pinot Noir.  

Three years ago we debuted his inaugural vintage of Pinot Noir. Every year since, Ramey’s mailing list, along with the greatest restaurants in the world, have snapped up every bottle—but that all changes today.

We secured the last 60 cases of the 2016 Ramey Russian River Valley Pinot Noir at just $45 a bottle. In classic Ramey fashion, his third vintage of Pinot possesses the elegance of French Burgundy but with distinctly California fruit depth, supported by the vibrant acidic backbone that comes from California grapes growing in the cool, breezy, Russian River Valley.

Beautiful deep black cherry notes, underbrush, and dazzling floral aromas give way to energy and poise on the palate, brimming with wild forest berry, clove, and blood orange. It may have taken Ramey 18 years to make his first Pinot Noir, but in three vintages, he’s captured the pure essence of the Russian River Valley. 

While his legendary Chardonnay program began with single-vineyard designates, Ramey decided to flip the script with Pinot Noir, capturing the essence of the broader Russian River appellation first.

In 2016, while Napa was celebrating one of the finest growing seasons in about 50 years, Ramey was marveling at the perfect returns on his Russian River Pinot grapes, which hail from two classic Sonoma County vineyards—De La Montanya and Bucher. Long a source for Siduri’s Adam Lee and Cartograph, many of you will know Bucher from bottles of Williams Selyem, which produces its own Bucher-designate Pinot (the 2014 will run you $100 if you can find it). 

Ramey harvests Pommard clone grapes from Bucher’s Tory Block, which provides darker berry fruit flavors and savory notes, and Dijon Clone 777 from the North L Block, planted in rocky Yorkville Clay and well-draining Josephine loam, which forms the structural spine of the wine. All that is filled in with more red fruit and citrus notes from grapes planted in Volcanic Huichica clay and well-draining Spreckels loam soils at De La Montanya.

“We don’t punch down our Pinot,” says Ramey. “We pump it over, sprinkling gently, as our Cabernet, leaving the juice on the skins for three weeks. Twenty-five-percent whole clusters. Native yeasts ferment in stainless steel, then native malo in half-new François Frères French oak barrels. On yeast lees for fourteen months before bottling unfiltered. 2016 was a perfect vintage. It’s a diaphanous wine, more Côte de Beaune than Côte de Nuits—but never losing its essential Russian River charm.”

So the California King of Chardonnay took his time to make a Pinot Noir—it was well worth the wait. We suggest at least six bottles—some to enjoy now and some to marvel at over the next five to seven years.