Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Wine Enthusiast
A matchstick tone rules the nose of this tremendously powerful white, which evolves to show toasted oak and salty notes. The robust palate unravels in layers of Gravenstein apple, fig and crushed rock, with plenty of length on the nutmeg-laden finish.
-
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2015 Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard was barrel fermented with 100% malolactic fermentation and lees stirring, and it was aged 19 months in 100% new French oak. It opens with notions of baked apples, crushed stone, slivered almonds, dried mushrooms and hay with touches of honeysuckle, beeswax and sweet corn. The palate is medium to full-bodied, silky and savory with great freshness and a long, sweet-spice finish. More of an old school style with the apparent malolactic character. 241 cases produced.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
A standout region for its decidedly Californian take on Burgundian varieties, the Russian River Valley is named for the eponymous river that flows through it. While there are warm pockets of the AVA, it is mostly a cool-climate growing region thanks to breezes and fog from the nearby Pacific Ocean.
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir reign supreme in Russian River, with the best examples demonstrating a unique combination of richness and restraint. The cool weather makes Russian River an ideal AVA for sparkling wine production, utilizing the aforementioned varieties. Zinfandel also performs exceptionally well here. Within the Russian River Valley lie the smaller appellations of Chalk Hill and Green Valley. The former, farther from the ocean, is relatively warm, with a focus on red and white Bordeaux varieties. The latter is the coolest, foggiest parcel of the Russian River Valley and is responsible for outstanding Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.