First, let me just say that this is a beautiful wine, but a bit of storytelling might be in order... V.M.L. stands for Virginia Marie Lambrix. My friend, Ginny Lambrix, was a protege of the eccentric and excellent winemaker Greg LaFolette. Ginny has been a major biodynamic farming advocate in Sonoma for a long time and definitely made her mark in that space, but she is no longer a part of Truett-Hurst, the company that now owns the V.M.L. brand. It's always weird reviewing wines made under a brand when you know that the person on the label isn't associated with the brand anymore. All that said, the CEO of Truett-Hurst is Paul Dolan, who has a very long, distinguished of championing sustainable organic viticulture at Fetzer, Bonterra and subsequent projects. Sometimes even kindred spirits can have disagreements. Now, about the wine... Greg LaFollette always described Ritchie Vineyard to me as having a clear "lemon drop" character. I would generally agree that that element is always there, and I think Ritchie Vineyard is among my favorite Chardonnay vineyards in California. It was first planted in 1972 to Wente Clone Chardonnay. Here the voicing is a bit more elaborate and decadent, in a wine matured in 1/3 new French oak, resulting in a citrusy Chardonnay with decadent pineapple, apricot and butterscotch notes to delicious effect. (93 Points)
- Tim Teichgraeber
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