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2007 Vintage

90 Steven Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar May/June 09
Green-gold. Sexy aromas of pineapple, melon and white peach are lifted by a floral note. Deep pit fruit and honeydew flavors coat the palate and are braced by tangy minerals. Gains weight and sweetness on the long, juicy finish. I'd drink this suave wine now, for its exuberant fruit.

2006 Vintage

88 Robert M. Parker Jr.'s The Wine Advocate December 2008
The crisp, elegant, medium-bodied 2006 Chardonnay Carneros reveals hazelnut and tropical fruit characteristics.

90 Steven Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar May/June 08
Light gold. Zesty citrus and orchard fruit aromas are complicated by white flowers and dusty minerals. Cool and bright, with energetic Meyer lemon and pear flavors, picking up pleasant bitterness with air. A distinctly brisk, focused wine, with admirable finishing cut.

91 (two puffs) Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine, Aug. 2008
The least open of the Ramey bunch in this Issue may, over time, rate with its mates, but for the moment, it is a touch tighter and relies on a mix of minerally and citrus notes for its central focus. Nominally as ripe as the wine above, this one is leaner in palate impression, but the admirable length of its bright, brisk flavors makes it one to think of with white fishes and shellfish now and over the next few years.

Four Stars Ronn Wiegand’s Restaurant Wine, Issue # 125 & 126
The Carneros is supple and full bodied; a moderately rich Chardonnay, with a very long finish, tasting of roasted nut, apple, toast, lime, and spicy oak. [2008-2009]

89 (one puff) Connoisseurs’ Guide to California Wine October 2008
The least open of the Ramey bunch in this Issue may, over time, rate with its mates, but for the moment, it is a touch tighter and relies on a mix of minerally and citrus notes for its central focus. Nominally as ripe as the wine above, this one is leaner in palate impression, but the admirable length of its bright, brisk flavors makes it one to think of with white fishes and shellfish now and over the next few years.

2005 Vintage

90 Steven Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar May/June 08
Light gold. Zesty citrus and orchard fruit aromas are complicated by white flowers and dusty minerals. Cool and bright, with energetic Meyer lemon and pear flavors, picking up pleasant bitterness with air. A distinctly brisk, focused wine, with admirable finishing cut.

2004 Vintage

92 (two puffs) Connoisseurs’ Guide to California Wine, June 2006
Although its generous aromas of toast, lees, sweet butter and very ripe apples convey a real impression of substance and size, this working turns out to be surprisingly light on its feet with a bright, citrusy trim to its very lively, fresh fruit flavors, while oak provides plenty of richness. Much in the manner of its Sonoma Coast counterpart below, it has an eye to both substance and energy, and there is little question that it is on a two-or-three-year track to appreciable growth.

91 Steven Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar May/June 2006
Medium yellow. Lemon, lime, nutmeg and smoke on the nose. Harmonious and sweet in the mouth, with a racy texture and lovely lift and length. This has an exhilarating sugar/acid balance and excellent definition.

2003 Vintage

89  Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar May/June 2005
Fuller yellow color, with an unfiltered appearance. Exotic aromas of orchard fruits, clove and flowers. Offers a sweeter impression than the RRV bottling, with a softer texture but very good richness. Strong flavor of peach is framed by sound acidity. Best on the classically dry, mounting finish, which boasts very good length.

2002 Vintage

91 (+?)  Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar May/June 2004
About half of this wine comes from Hyde and Hudson fruit. Deeper yellow color. Rather exotic aromas of pineapple and clove. Then bright and minerally in the mouth; more dominated by its structure and less pliant today than the Russian River Valley bottling. But this boasts excellent flavor intensity and structure. Perhaps the best vintage yet for this wine.

91 (two puffs) Connoisseurs’ Guide to California Wine October 2004
Slightly hazy in appearance but perfectly in focus in its aromas and flavors, this bottling mixes toasty oak with outgoing notes of ripe apples, sweet lemons and a hint of Anjou pear, and its full yet nicely balanced palate feel allows the wine full play even at its tender age. Long and ever so slightly hot at the finish, this one invites early drinking alongside cream-sauced pastas, smoked salmon or buttered lobster.

Four stars Ronn Wiegand’s Restaurant Wine Vol. 16, No. 6 Sep/Oct 2004
Excellent Chardonnay. The Carneros bottling is fleshy, full bodied, and medium rich Chardonnay, with good balance. It has ripe fruit, toast, lemon peel and roasted nut aromas/flavors. Long finish.

89  Robert M. Parker Jr.’s The Wine Advocate, 02-28-05, Issue 157
Softer and less interesting, but pleasant in a low-keyed style is the 2002 Chardonnay Carneros. It possesses copious quantities of lush tropical fruits, medium body and an easy-going character.

88 California Grapevine, Volume 30, No. 5, Oct-Nov 2004
Medium-light golden yellow; attractive, intense, earthy, distinct Chardonnay fruit aroma; medium-full body; crisp, lemony, green apple flavors with firm acidity; lemony finish; lingering aftertaste. Appearing a bit green at present and needing some bottle aging. Highly recommended.

2001 Vintage

91 (two puffs)  Connoisseurs’ Guide to California Wine, June 2003, p. 127
In this bottling, winemaker Ramey has found an extra note of complexity in the biscuity, creamy overlay to the wine’s direct, clean fruitiness. Notes of green apples and oak fill the mouth and are presented with the typical polish and precision that mark just about every Ramey Chardonnay of late. Its firm underbelly will hold it in good stead during a few years of aging, but there is a lot to like in this one even now.

91  California Grapevine, Vol. 29, No. 2, April-May 2003, p. 32
Medium-light golden yellow; attractive, intense, well-defined, nutty, spiced apple aroma with notes of vanilla; full body; big, rich, plush, intense, toasty, green apple flavors with firm acidity; well balanced and structured; lingering aftertaste. Shows distinctive varietal character and good aging potential. Very highly recommended.

90  Stephen Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar, Issue 108, May/June 2003
Tighter on the nose than the RRV example. Then spicy, juicy and intensely flavored, with lovely, sweet, mouthcoating fruit. Dense, sappy and spicy. Finishes quite dry, with a lingering pineapple flavor.

Four stars  Ronn Wiegand’s Restaurant Wine, Issue # 95, p. 17
These are fine Chardonnays. The Carneros bottling is finely flavored, full bodied, and very well balanced; a Chardonnay with crisp acidity, pineapple, lemon peel, toast, and new oak aromas/flavors. Great value.

89  Robert M. Parker Jr.’s The Wine Advocate, 12-23-03, p. 38-39
It is loaded with tropical fruit (particularly pineapple), crisp acidity, medium body, and a greenish hue to the light gold color. Enjoy this tasty, straightforward, hedonistic 2001 over the next 1-2 years.