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October 2007
93 (two puffs) Ramey Chardonnay Russian River Valley 2005
The best of Ramey's three new appellation bottlings starts out with attention-getting aromas of sweet cream, caramel and lots very deep and keenly defined ripe-apple fruit, and its beautifully composed flavors are likewise appointed with plentiful fruit and filled out with lovely oak. As well-balanced as it is so very rich, it shows terrific latter-palate extension with its very finely fit acids bringing brightness and length. It can easily take a few years of age, and, given its resounding success, we can only wonder at how good the winery's upcoming single-vineyard releases from 2005 might be.
91 (two puffs) Ramey Chardonnay Carneros District 2005
Yet another deep and generously filled working with a fine fit of keenly defined fruit and sweet barrel-spice, this layered and well-balanced wine again exhibits plenty of substance without being the least bit beholden to ripeness. Its integral acids lend a note of verve and tension to its rich and long-lasting finish, and, while we would not argue against enjoying a glass or two now with lightly sauced lobster or salmon, it promises to expand and improve over time.
87 Ramey Chardonnay Sonoma Coast 2005
While there is a fair bit of ripe fruit at work in this wine, there is never so much nor is it as well-defined as in either of the other Ramey releases, and the wine is seemingly at odds with itself at the moment being both a bit fat at the front and slightly tight and almost austere at the end. Time may work in its favor, but the prognosis is less certain here, and, in the end, this one holds the shortest straw of the trio.
June 2006
95 (three puffs) Ramey Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard 2003 Russian River Valley
Complex and fruity at the same time, this impressive wine starts with nuances of roasted grains and creamy oak layered amidst its deep, expansively-fruited aromas. Somewhat fleshy and firmly balanced on the palate in the style of the best Ramey bottlings, it boasts an enormous reservoir of vitality that brightens its multi-faceted personality, and its polish and succulence hold on well at the end in its admirably lengthy finish. It is delicious today yet should age exceptionally well.
92 (two puffs) Ramey Chardonnay Russian River Valley 2004
Ramey's superb single-vineyard offerings have always struck us having a remarkable balance of winemaking richness and high-energy fruit, and so, too, it seems do the winery's appellation bottlings. This impressively crafted effort is shot through with very deep, optimally ripened appley fruit and comes complete with a full measure of keenly fit oak. It is at once both viscous and alive on the palate, and its potent expressions of creamy oak spice, unstinting fruit and real concentration are sustained through a long, wonderfully well-focused finish.
92 (two puffs) Ramey Chardonnay Carneros 2004
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 (two puffs) Ramey Chardonnay Sonoma Coast 2004
While very much showing Ramey's typical richness and careful melding of lively fruit, creamy oak and complexing lees, this one is a bit narrow and more tightly drawn than its siblings with a streak of brisk acidity firming its latter palate and finish. If we were to pull its cork now, we would opt for service with meaty fish, but its depth signals clear potential for improvement with age, and we would opt first for letting it sit quietly for a couple more years.
90 (one puff) Ramey Chardonnay Hudson Vineyard 2003 Napa Valley Carneros
The usual Ramey richness and layering are quite evident here, but the central fruit seems just a tad less forceful than in the other bottlings reviewed above. The nose is focused on ripe and green apples, and both oak and slightly toast notes show up as enriching adjuncts to the wine's central character. Firm at the end, the wine can open a bit with age, but it offers less promise than its mates.
January 2006
91 (two puffs) Ramey Carneros District 2003 Napa Valley
Creamy oak and scents of sweet butter add complex layering to the deeply fruity, Gala apples smells occupying the center of this very attractive Chardonnay. It is full-bodied in palate weight and boasts impeccable balance that keeps it spry and admirably light on its feet despite a rich, almost coating texture. Long and oaky at the finish, it is a wine that will mate well with buttery lobster preparations in the here and now yet has the stuffing and zest for a few years of bottle age.
90 (one puff) Ramey Sonoma Coast 2003
If a little bit less forthcoming than its cellarmate above, this one is growing nicely into its keenly focused, decently concentrated Meyer lemon and Gala apple fruitiness. Its medium-volume nose and its rounded, rich, oily entry to the palate promise to carry the wine forward while its firm, vital flavors fill out further, if one is to drink it today, rather than waiting for a year or so, then look at tangy seafood as its partner.
89 (one puff) Ramey Russian River Valley 2003
On the right track in its sweet, vibrant aromas of lemons, sweet pears and crisp apples with hints of butter and crème brulée for richness, the nose of this nicely put together wine presages its similarly attractive and bountiful flavor profile. If things swing a bit towards raggedness in the finish, the wine needs only time in bottle or service with tangy shellfish or chicken preparations to show its better side.
March 2005
93 (two puffs) Ramey Hyde Vineyard 2002 Napa Valley Carneros
While among the most involving and deepest offerings to be found in this survey, this exceptionally well-balanced bottling finds a bit more brightness and buoyancy than most wines of its weight and range manage to muster. It is loaded with fruit and generously oaked, and it stays both rich and fairly light on its feet through to its very long, impressively layered finish. As wholly seductive as it is right now, it can only get better with age, and we look forward to positive growth for another three or four years.
91 (two puffs) Ramey Ritchie Vineyard 2002 Russian River Valley
This rich and energetic Chardonnay is very much cast in the Ramey model and presents a lovely, neatly proportioned, quite complex combination of deep fruit, minerals and sweet oak spice. It is full-bodied and impeccably balanced with a fleshy mouth feel, a lengthy finish and plenty of intensity. Like its siblings, it is thoroughly satisfying at present but displays lots of room for certain improvement if set aside for a further few years of cellaring.
89 (one puff) Ramey Hudson Vineyard 2002 Napa Valley Carneros
This marginally lighter Chardonnay is gifted with plenty of forward apple and citrus-like fruitiness and is dressed up with a good bit of creamy oak. It is a wee bit less weighty and is brightened by lots of fruity acidity, and if a bit too rich to consider for service with simple shellfish dishes, it is sure to shine with teamed with sundry richly-sauced seafoods or paired with similarly prepared chicken entrees over the next two or three years.
December 2004
91 (two puffs) Ramey Jericho Canyon Vineyard Napa Valley 2002
A quick check of the labels shows 14.7% alcohol here, but there is little about this wine that indicates such ripeness. Its main traits are poise, proportion and balance of fruit to the fore of its deftly placed oak. It smacks of ripe cherries, vanilla and a bit of milk chocolate and its sustained, lightly tannin-firmed finish is marked by the same sense of finesse that marks every step of its carefully crafted course.
88 Ramey Diamond Mountain District Napa Valley 2002
So obviously concerned with ripeness and very sweet oak as to almost make secondary its expressions of specific fruit, this lush and supple effort is never far removed from milk chocolate in character and comes with a trailing bit of evident heat. It does not have the sturdy, tannic aspects of a wine built for lengthy age, and its plumper style suggest that it will reach its peak in something like three to four years.
87 Ramey Claret Napa Valley 2002
Marked by plenty of winemaking polish and filling the niche of a well-mannered middleweight, this appropriately titled effort eschews mass, muscle and tannins in favor of clarity and clear-cut fruit. It finds finesse in spite of its evident ripeness, and, if hardly a wine with the strength for a decade of age, it will stand up well for several years yet.
October 2004
91 (two puffs) Ramey Carneros District 2002
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.
89 Ramey Russian River Valley 2002
Generous in character from its intense aromas of sweet citrus and toasty, spicy oak to its leesy, nutty overlays, this wine offers deep complex aromas that are followed in spirit if not quite in volume by its ripe fruit and highly oaked flavors. It runs into a fair bit of finishing hardness, however, and finds itself slightly held back relative to its mate above.
December 2003
2003 Winery of the Year – Ramey Wine Cellars
Stephen Elliot – The Top Ten Wines of 2003
Ramey Cabernet Sauvignon Jericho Canyon 2001
Ramey Chardonnay Hyde Vineyard 2000
Charles Olken – The Top Ten Wines of 2003
Ramey Cabernet Sauvignon Jericho Canyon 2001
Ramey Chardonnay Hudson Vineyard 2001
95 (three puffs) Ramey Jericho Canyon Vineyard Napa Valley 2001
45% Cabernet Sauvignon; 36% Merlot; 10% Cabernet Franc. Deep, concentrated and conveying a fine sense of potency in its complex, richly oaked and optimally ripened black cherry and currant aromas, this big, broad-beamed opus is positively plush on the palate with a wealth of well-extracted fruit that is met step for step by lots of lovely sweet oak spice. While a touch of last-minute heat proves a slight distraction just now, the wine has the relentless fruit and stunning sense of depth to make it an all but guaranteed bet for aging, and it looks good to go for another eight to ten years.
91 (two puffs) Ramey Diamond Mountain District 2001
Napa Valley. 66% Cabernet Sauvignon; 15% Merlot; 12% Petit Verdot. The ripest of the Ramey lot, this imposing, full-bodied, palate-coating effort is long on chocolate and oaky spice, yet it also sports a wealth of deep, black cherry fruit and lots of the loamy, black-earth complexities of serious Cabernet Sauvignon. Richness rather than refinement is its first concern, and, if that richness comes at the cost of some toughness and latter-palate heat, the wine is as well packed at the end as it is at the start, and it will grow for years.
95 (three puffs) Ramey Hudson Vineyard Carneros 2001
Napa Valley. Gorgeous oak serves as a constant counterpoint to the intense ripe apple themes that drive this captivating wine, and, while quite rich in every respect, the wine is also carefully composed, neatly balanced and never close to begin overblown. It tends to a bit to firmness in the latter going, but its persistent citrusy ending suggests that increased complexity and further expansion will await those whose exercise a few more years of patience before pulling its cork.
93 (two puffs) Ramey Hyde Vineyard Carneros 2001
Napa Valley. Here is a wonderfully refined offering whose poise and careful sense of composition comes with no dearth of fruity depth and compelling richness. Smelling of green apples, toast and minerals, it is long and layered on the palate with insistent impression of nervy young fruit punctuated with notes of stony spice and laced with vanillin oak. Always lively and light on its feet, it promises to grow with time and should serve famously with richer seafood recipes.
June 2003
92 (two puffs) Ramey Russian River Valley 2001
The first in a pair of handsomely crafted Chardonnays from a maker who recognition is bound to grow and grow, these two are David Ramey’s “Appellation” bottlings – as opposed to those that he designates by vineyard source. This one takes its cue from bright, sunny, sweet apple fruitiness and might seem a bit too simple were it not for the steely, French-like structure that gives an energetic boost to the endeavor while suggesting a sense of reserve and refinement.
91 (two puffs) Ramey Carneros 2001
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 year s of aging, but there is a lot to like in this one even now.
February 2003
92 (two puffs) Ramey Hudson Vineyard Carneros 2000
Napa Valley. Not dissimilar from the Ramey’s Hyde bottling, this one is perhaps a little brighter in its aromas with a nice whiff of Fuji apple adding its charms to the richness of sweet oak and a note of roasted grains,. Full and fleshy at entry, then firmer across the palate, this one sets its brisk acids in comfortable juxtaposition to ripe fruit flavors and a touch of glycerin sweetness. It would work with the oily fishes.
95 (three puffs) Ramey Hyde Vineyard Carneros 2000
Napa Valley. Outgoing and inviting, this wine smells of sweet apples and roasted Meyer lemons with enriching notes of crème brulee in support. Fairly full=-bodied and oily in texture, it shows a distinct, caramelized vanilla, toasted oak overlay to its deeply cast, ripe fruit flavors before finding a firmer, tighter stance as it reaches into a long, brisk aftertaste. In all truth, this stunningly deep wine probably needs a year or two in bottle to fully open up and promises to be even more enjoyable if allowed the time to gain the patina of maturity.
89 (one puff) Ramey Russian River Valley 2000
Its somewhat frontal Russian River fruit gives this wine a slightly different outlook, yet the winemaker’s hand is always evident in the leesy, oaky aromas and again in the ripe, glycerin-sweetened flavors. The tart acids of its siblings are again part of this wine and serve to narrow things up a touch towards the finish. This one might show at its enjoyable best with something rich and tangy like linguini with clam sauce.
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