Winemaker Notes
Ramey Ritchie Vineyard Chardonnay walks the fine line between richness and delicacy. It has a complex and harmonious mouthfeel that balances power with elegance.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
An opulent, ripe and lush white that overflows with fragrant pear, lemon blossom, baked apple and honey flavors that coat the palate and linger long in the finish. Not too full-bodied at 13.5% alcohol, yet it has the lushness and concentration to make it memorable. It's the last vintage of Ramey Ritchie. Drink now or hold.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2023 Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard is the last iteration of this single vineyard from the Ramey family, who is sourcing more fruit from their estate vineyards and other multigenerational family farms. What a way to go out—it’s intensely perfumed and expressive! It floods the senses with waves of matchstick, peach, pineapple, lemongrass and jasmine. The full-bodied palate is highly concentrated with hedonistic, flint-laced flavors. Its generosity is foiled by racy acidity, and it has a long, shimmery finish.
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Vinous
The 2023 Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard is powerful and quite savory. Orchard fruit, dried herbs, marzipan, white flowers and chalk all run through this potent Chardonnay. I find the Ritchie a touch aggressive in its contours and not quite as complete as the other Chardonnays in the range. This is the last vintage of the Ritchie Chardonnay at Ramey.
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.