Ramey 2019 Chardonnay Fort Ross - Seaview Sonoma Coast ($50) Native yeast fermentation, lees stirring, reductive then full malo treatment. Flinty, saline, and focused with kaffir lime leaf, tangerine, taut, elegant, and built to last. Very Burgundian and very modern California at the same time. (93 Points)
Ramey 2019 Hyde Vineyard Chardonnay Carneros Napa Valley ($75) Very expressive, but elegant as well, with nectarine, lemon tart, fennel notes and a zesty, slightly creamy with a very slight hazelnut note, beautiful finish. This is extraordinary and mind-blowing.. (97 Points)
Ramey 2017 Pinot Noir Russian River Valley ($50) This 2017 vintage is near ideal maturity given the reductive sur lie battonage techniques used to make it. Sourced from three vineyards with varying soil types, this Pinot has lovely, round, velvety blueberry, blackberry, and boysenberry aromas and flavors with some nice allspice, cardamom and cinnamon notes. this wine is fermented with native yeast, 25% whole cluster. It is fined with egg white and bottled without filtration. Not as sweet as some RRV offerings and quite delicious. (93 Points)
Ramey 2019 Woolsey Road Vineyard Chardonnay ($75) Woolsey Road vineyard is planted to Wente clone cuttings that originated from Hyde vineyard, and has Huichica clay-loam soils over deeper clay. This one has a nice spectrum of flavors - initially a peach / apricot note, then a bright, electric lemon-lime note, and a nice umami profile on the finish suggestive of oyster mushrooms and miso, giving it lots of complexity. (94 Points)
Ramey 2017 Claret Red Blend North Coast ($45) When I see the word 'claret' on a wine, I think about the way Brits referred to relatively simple red Bordeaux as 'claret,' so I expect a medium-full bodied dry red that's a little lighter than a conventional Napa Cabernet. I think the body of this red blend fits the bill. It has nice red currant and plum fruit flavors, but there's also a brooding olive note and some smokiness that weighs the wine down. It finishes round and plush, but maybe a little lacking in acidity. (88 Points)
Ramey 2015 Annum Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley ($99) A powerful, age-worthy Cabernet with aromas of licorice, herbs, vanilla, and brooding black fruit. It's mouth-filling, loaded with black currant, black cherry, dried tobacco and espresso flavors finishing with fairly grippy tannins that could still use some softening at the age of 6 years old. A keeper, for sure. (94 Points)
Ramey 2016 Template Napa Valley ($85) This blend of 70% Merlot from Mt. Veeder, 23% Cabernet Franc from Oakville, and 7% Cabernet Sauvignon from St. Helena is produced with a spontaneous native yeast fermentation (a Ramey specialty), and has dense, concentrated plum and herb flavors and lots of chocolate and vanilla on the finish. There's a LOT of new French oak in play here, which might not be for everyone. It's a rich, luscious wine. (91 Points)
Ramey 2019 Ritchie Vineyard Chardonnay Russian River Valley ($75) I have a tremendous soft spot for Ritchie Vineyard Chard - it's probably one of my favorite Chardonnay vineyards in the state. There's always a central lemon drop note, but here its intertwined with lees, pineapple, kumquat, and tangerine notes. The oak is really subtle, letting the brilliant fruit shine through. Incredibly delicious. (96 Points)
Ramey 2019 Russian River Valley Chardonnay Sonoma County ($39-49) This wine is completely electric! I like every everything about this wine. It is zesty and lively, it incorporates both laborious traditional wine making techniques and modern, contemporary aesthetics, and its super well-blended, to boot. This Chardonnay has racy lemon, fennel, apricot notes. It's as much expressive as it is restrained. It's downright electric on the palate, but oh so subtle. This is sooo good. One of the best white wines I've had this year. (95 Points)
-Tim Teichgraeber
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