Winemaker Notes
Minerality and density are indicative of this cool, high-elevation AVA. This viticultural neighborhood hugs the Pacific Ocean, creating wines of startling freshness and liveliness.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
A vivid, fresh, almost chewy wine that's vibrant in crisp apple and tangy lime flavors on the signature creamy texture of Ramey. Flavors emerge on the palate, including minerals, chalk and touches of flint and lemon zest. The grapes come from the Charles Ranch from vines planted in 1982.
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Decanter
Sourced exclusively from the Martinelli Charles Ranch, located three miles inland from the Pacific at 340 metres elevation, surrounded by redwoods, bay laurels, and oaks. The vineyard was planted in 1982 by George Charles (Lee Martinelli Jr.’s maternal grandfather), and Ramey has worked with this fruit since 2008. "It’s a large, undulating site," says Claire Ramey. "We take fruit from many different aspects, but the blend has been largely from south-west-facing blocks, along with some less west-facing and a few east-facing sites, all sitting at roughly 305 metres and mostly above the fog." Lovely sea-spray aromatics fill this medium-bodied wine's nose and palate, boasting fantastic bracing acidity and an astounding baseline of intense, creamy fruit. Best enjoyed alongside grilled scallops or lobster mac and cheese—the wine’s taut acid backbone and creamy texture will elevate both the food and the wine.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2023 Chardonnay Fort Ross-Seaview comes from Martinelli’s Charles Ranch Vineyard. Originally planted in 1981 to Clone 4 and Old Wente, it’s located just three miles from the Pacific Ocean at 1,115 feet in elevation, and vines are planted in Goldridge and Josephine soils. The grapes were harvested October 18-21, and the wine was barrel-fermented. It matured for 12 months in 10% new French oak barrels and was bottled in January of 2025. It’s surprisingly open on the nose, with aromas of red apple, apricot, panna cotta, graham cracker and citrus blossom perfume. The medium-bodied palate is silky and vibrant, with pure, concentrated, saline-laced flavors and a very long, taut finish. Rating: 94+
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Wine Spectator
There's impressive precision and focus to the flavors in this white, with pure Meyer lemon, pomelo, yuzu and fresh ginger accents, plus a crunchy sea salt detail. Honeycrisp apple, lemon verbena and lemon blossom notes emerge on the finish, where the vibrant acidity gives this a firm backbone. Drink now through 2037.
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.
On the far western edge of the larger Sonoma Coast appellation, the Fort Ross-Seaview AVA hugs right up against the Pacific coast. Vineyards, planted at rugged elevations between 920 to 1,800 feet, occupy only two percent of the total land in the AVA. Fort Ross-Seaview growers believe that the region boasts an ideal mix of sunshine, cool air and beneficial stress for producing high quality Chardonnay and Pinot noir.