May-June 2007

David Ramey emphasized that he makes his wines "completely hands-off, with no tricks. We couldn't mess with them even if we wanted to," he told me. "Hell, we don't even own a filter." But he does co-own a fancy new bottling line, which he recently bought with Chateau Montelena and which was hooked up and in action when I visited in March. While many of Ramey's wines see ample oak, he doesn't view barrels as flavoring agents, saying that "elevage shouldn't simply be an oak-aging period" and that he wants any oak influence to work in concert with the fruit. He describes 2005 as "more elegant than 2004, which is notable for its ripeness, but with plenty of maturity itself."

90    2005 Ramey Chardonnay Sonoma Coast
($38) Green-gold. Spicy, mineral-accented pear and lemon aromas, with a light hint of jasmine. Nervy and precise, with juicy citrus character and a lively, clean finish. I like the focus and drive here.

91    2005 Ramey Chardonnay Russian River Valley
($38) Light gold. Strong smoke and minerals complement fresh pear and apple aromas. Crisp and linear, with vibrant orchard fruit flavors, a gentle hint of smoked meat and lively acidity on the close. Lots of flavor here but no undue weight or fat; this is strikingly racy.

90    2005 Ramey Chardonnay Carneros
($38) Bright straw. Complex aromas of tangerine, pear, gingerbread and smoked meat display impressive thrust and focus. Fleshy and round, with energetic citrus and citrus zest flavors and a deeper note of poached pear on the finish. Gains more weight with air and takes on an interesting musky quality.

94    2004 Ramey Chardonnay Hudson Vineyard Carneros
($58) Bright yellow with a green hint. Powerful, deeply concentrated and smoky on the nose, with strong, iodine-accented pear, yellow apple and nectarine aromas. Incredibly concentrated pear and pit fruit flavors are complicated by a wild cured meat accent and strong mineral tones. The iodine note comes up strong on the finish, along with notes of lees, licorice and sweet butter. This has depth and persistence to burn, with a seemingly endless finish. For a wine of this quality, it's an absolute steal. Ramey advises holding it for at least ten years, noting that the 2001 is just starting to come into maturity.

94    2004 Ramey Chardonnay Hyde Vineyard Carneros
($58) Green-gold. Rich and focused, with smoky, spicy orchard and pit fruit scents complicated by a strong iodine-y quality. Dense with extract and admirably pure in its pear and white peach flavors, with an exotic smoky, earthy note on the back. Picks up energy on the finish and shows outstanding concentration and persistence. I could taste this for minutes after swallowing it.

91    2004 Ramey Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard
($60) Light gold. Fat and ripe, with full-blown melon, poached pear and peach aromas. Forward, ripe tropical and orchard fruit flavors are gently lifted by soft acidity and a touch of minerals. Gains weight on the finish, which features expansive orange and nectarine flavors and excellent length. This is the most fruit-driven of Ramey's vineyard-designated chardonnays.

91    2005 Ramey Syrah Sonoma Coast
($55) Deep ruby. Pungently aromatic, with textbook syrah aromas of cassis, smoky bacon, graphite, violet and olive. Full and deep in dark berry flavors but there's impressive energy, too. Spice notes build on the finish, adding even greater complexity. This is livelier than the 2004 version.

92    2005 Ramey Syrah Rodgers Creek Sonoma Valley
($65) Deep ruby. Intensely aromatic nose offers potent cassis, blackberry, licorice and floral notes. Sexy and impressively pure, with bright red and dark berry flavors underscored by zesty mineral and pepper notes. There's more than a suggestion of the Northern Rhone here. Shows great energy and punch on the finish, which boasts outstanding persistence and a very sexy combination of fruits and spices. Ramey says that this is a particularly cool site.

89    2004 Ramey Claret Napa Valley
($38) Deep ruby. Suave redcurrant and cherry aromas are open-knit and ripe. Supple and sweet, with pliant tannins supporting ripe cherry and dark berry flavors. Not at all heavy, this shows good freshness on the finish.

92    2004 Ramey Cabernet Sauvignon Larkmead Vineyard Napa Valley
($75) Inky ruby. Strong tobacco- and herb-accented cassis and cherry aromas, with an underpinning of graphite. Elegant and spicy in the mouth, with energetic red and dark berry flavors and firm, youthful tannins. This possesses impressive power but there's also a sense of restraint, suggesting that it will repay cellaring.

93    2004 Ramey Red Wine Jericho Canyon Vineyard Napa Valley
($110) Inky purple. Graphite- and tobacco-accented cherry and cassis aromas reminded me of top-end Saint-Julien. Focused, pure red- and blackcurrant flavors are energized by impressive mineral lift. This remarkably concentrated cabernet finishes with firm but harmonious tannins and explosive sweetness.

95    2004 Ramey Cabernet Sauvignon Pedregal Vineyard Oakville
($140) Saturated ruby. Assertive red- and blackcurrant aromas are accented by strong mineral notes and complicated by licorice, espresso and tobacco. Deep, concentrated and powerfully sweet, with liqueur-like dark berry flavors and firm but integrated tannins. Gains weight with air but maintains remarkable structure, finishing with palate-enveloping sweetness. Stunning stuff.

90-91    2005 Ramey Claret Napa Valley
($38) Deep red. Elegant, sharply focused currant aromas show bright mineral lift. Sweet and juicy, with supple tannins and fresh red berry flavors given support by firm acidity. This has Old World spice and tannin structure, finishing on a bright red fruit note.

90-92    2005 Ramey Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
($50) Inky violet. Powerful tobacco-accented blackberry and cassis aromas, with a gentle mocha note and a hint of iron. The supple dark berry flavors are supported by low-key minerality and gentle tannins. Gains sweetness on the finish, which shows a distinct blueberry note. This is the first vintage for this bottling, which is made from all hillside vines, according to Ramey.

93-95    2005 Ramey Cabernet Sauvignon Larkmead Vineyard Napa Valley
($80) Dark purple. Remarkably spicy and vibrant on the nose, with powerful cassis, kirsch, espresso and rose pastille aromas and a subtle iron note. Intense red and dark fruit flavors are powered by vibrant minerality and framed by fine but solid tannins. Exotic spice notes come up on the long, stunningly sweet finish. "These vines are just coming into their majority," Ramey said.

94-96    2005 Ramey Red Wine Jericho Canyon Vineyard Napa Valley
($110) Saturated violet. Flamboyantly aromatic aromas of powerful blueberry and boysenberry fruit accented by cola and floral pastille. Deep, sweet and expansive, with liqueur-like dark berry flavors, a bitter suggestion of cherry pit and silky tannins for support. This became fresher with air, taking a raspberry turn and picking up mineral accents. Finishes energetic and spicy, with an expansive red berry tone and remarkable length.

95-97    2005 Ramey Cabernet Sauvignon Pedregal Vineyard Oakville
($140) Inky ruby. Incredibly aromatic nose of explosive cassis, blackberry and mulberry fruit, given energy by suggestions of licorice, black tea and graphite. Utterly mouthfilling and powerful, with deeply concentrated blackcurrant and blackberry flavors bordering on liqueur-like in their intensity and sweetness. This is seamless, penetrating and expansive on the finish, with uncanny purity and no apparent tannins, although they are in there somewhere. One of the most impressive cabernet samples I've tasted in years, from anywhere. All of these 2005 cabernets are scheduled to be bottled in June of 2007. (JR)

May-June 2006

David Ramey's strategy for revenue growth favors increasing production rather than raising prices, with the result that his consistently excellent chardonnays and Bordeaux blends look like better value every year. Annual output here was about 20,000 cases in the 2002 through 2004 vintages, but leaped to 36,000 in the generous 2005 growing season. Ramey plans to have a second winemaking facility built in Healdsburg and will most likely use one address for red wines and the other for whites. It's hard to choose between the 2003s and 2004s here. For his part, Ramey feels the 2004s are fruitier and "more delicious. "

90    2004 Ramey Chardonnay Sonoma Coast
($36) Pale yellow. Aromas of lemon curd and honey. Suave and ripe, with lovely ripe acidity framing the lemon drop and leesy flavors. Offers a subtly chewy texture. Finishes bright and persistent.

89(+?)?    2004 Ramey Chardonnay Russian River Valley
($36) Full medium yellow. Somewhat exotic aromas of peach, melon, nuts and sulfides; reduced in a Burgundian way. Then bright on the palate but a bit youthfully hard-edged, with lemony acidity currently dominating the fruit. This needs 6 to 12 months to come into harmony.

91    2004 Ramey Chardonnay Carneros
($36) 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.

94    2003 Ramey Chardonnay Hudson Vineyard Carneros
($56) Pale yellow-green color. Wonderfully complex nose offers lime, peach, iodine, minerals, vanilla cream, truffle, smoke, hazelnut and earth. Sweet and lush yet light on its feet; this is actually the lowest in residual sugar of these vineyard-designated chardonnays, though all of them are under one gram per liter. Intriguing notes of biscuit and caramel. Saline and soil-inflected wine, with a long, chewy finish.

92(+?)    2003 Ramey Chardonnay Hyde Vineyard Carneros
($56) Yellow-green color. Lime, apple, spices and a floral topnote on the nose; more fruit-driven than the Hudson. Boasts lovely juicy fruit intensity but comes across as quite tightly wound today. This is much less expressive than the 2003 Hyde bottling was at the same stage; last year it was the '03 Hudson that was in a rather mute stage in March.

93    2003 Ramey Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard
($56) Full bright yellow. Fresh apricot, lemon, toast, crushed stone, iodine and smoke on the highly nuanced nose. Velvety and saline on the palate, but with its complexity somewhat muted today by a whiff of reduction. But this chewy wine possesses superb concentration and length. Harmonious acids frame and extend the wine's sweet fruit.

88    2003 Ramey Claret Napa Valley
($38; a blend of 55% cabernet sauvignon, 28% merlot, 16% cabernet franc and 1% petit verdot) Good red-ruby. Cherry syrup, menthol and cedar on the nose. Supple and chocolatey in the mouth, with light tarry and porty elements. Finishes with mouthdusting tannins.

91    2003 Ramey Diamond Mountain District Napa Valley
($75; the final blend is 60% cabernet sauvignon, 25% merlot, 9% cabernet franc and 6% petit verdot) Deep medium ruby. Blackcurrant and chocolate on the nose; shows a slight liqueur-like quality but also has good lift. Sweet, ripe and chewy, with complex flavors of currant, tobacco, Kahlua and nutty oak. This has good mid-palate vibrancy for a wine this ripe. Finishes sweet and long.

94    2003 Ramey Jericho Canyon Vineyard Napa Valley
($95) Good full medium ruby. Highly nuanced and wonderfully expressive nose combines blue and black fruits and smoky oak. Fat, dense and smooth in the mouth, with superripe but fresh flavors of cassis, dark chocolate, smoke and cigar box. Finishes with big, rich, mellow tannins and lingering notes of coffee and chocolate. A very satisfying 2003 with considerable early appeal but also very good aging potential.

90    2004 Ramey Syrah Sonoma Coast
($50; Ramey's first syrah comes from a vineyard in the northwest corner of the Carneros appellation; includes 5% co-fermented viognier) Saturated ruby. Varietally accurate aromas of dark raspberry, chocolate, smoked meat and brown spices. Dense, big and rich if a bit youthfully unrefined. Highly concentrated berry flavors complicated by brown spices and suggestions of coffee and chocolate liqueur. Finishes with big, broad tannins. A very strong first effort.

88-91    2004 Ramey Claret Napa Valley
Good full ruby. Blackberry, licorice and menthol on the nose. Sweet, dense and rich, with a silkier texture than the 2003 and strong chocolatey fruit. Finishes with plenty of tannins, but has the fruit to support them.

90-93    2004 Ramey Cabernet Sauvignon Larkmead Vineyard Napa Valley
Deep ruby-red. Sexy aromas of dark berries and mocha. Plush, superripe and deep, with a palate impression just this side of heavy. The wine's texture of liquid velvet is leavened by a rocky, minerally element. A voluminous wine whose big, ripe tannins reach the entire palate. Surprising vinosity carries the fruit on the aftertaste.

91-94    2004 Ramey Red Wine Jericho Canyon Vineyard Napa Valley
Deep ruby-red. Sexy aromas of dark berries and mocha. Plush, superripe and deep, with a palate impression just this side of heavy. The wine's texture of liquid velvet is leavened by a rocky, minerally element. A voluminous wine whose big, ripe tannins reach the entire palate. Surprising vinosity carries the fruit on the aftertaste.

92-95    2004 Ramey Cabernet Sauvignon Pedregal Vineyard Oakville
Good deep ruby. Currant and cedary cigar box aromas dominate the nose. Velvety, lush and sweet, with the concentrated fruit complicated by intriguing mineral and iron notes. Finishes very long, with noteworthy breadth and sweetness of tannins. Like a Pauillac on steroids.

May-June 2005

David Ramey described 2003 as "another year during which we battled raisins," adding that 2004 was the third consecutive vintage with atypical ripeness and fat. Chardonnay lovers will be happy to learn that Ramey has added a Ritchie Vineyard offering to his stable of "premier crus." And the best news of all is that the Ramey wines are produced in good quantities. Ramey's ultimate objective is to build brands. "I'm not interested in making a small quantity of wine that you can't find in the market," he said. In 2003, for example, there are 2,400 cases of his Russian River Valley and 1,600 of his Carneros District wines. And there are 700 cases of a new Sonoma Coast wine, Ramey's third "village wine."

90     2003 Ramey Chardonnay Russian River Valley
($36) Bright green-tinged yellow. Musky aromas of citrus skin, smoke, spices, flowers and minerals. Dry, cool, dense and brisk, with sappy citrus and fresh herbal flavors. A bit youthfully austere. Offers a very refreshing sugar/acid balance and excellent length. It is no easy trick to make 2,400 cases of chardonnay at this level of quality.

89     2003 Ramey Chardonnay Carneros
($36) 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.

90     2003 Ramey Chardonnay Sonoma Coast
($36) Full medium yellow with a green tinge. Very ripe aromas of pear, orange, honey and nuts, plus a lively suggestion of greener fruits. The sweetest and thickest of these three appellation bottlings, with exotic flavors of orange oil and spice. Chewy and long. An impressive wine considering that the vines are very young.

95     2002 Ramey Chardonnay Hyde Vineyard
($56) Medium yellow. Knockout nose combines lime blossom, soft citrus notes, pear and white flowers. Sweet, juicy and penetrating, with highly complex flavors of soft citrus fruits, lime peach, nectarine, flower and mint. At once solid and vibrant. Finishes with palate-staining persistence and terrific grip. A great California chardonnay.

92 (+?)     2002 Ramey Chardonnay Hudson Vineyard
($56) Bright yellow. Lower-toned aromas of iodine, minerals and smoke. Fat, dense and rich, but less showy today than the Hyde and not yet showing the lift of that bottling. But this layered wine is in a mute stage today.

94     2002 Ramey Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard
($56) Palish yellow. Captivating aromas of orange blossom, lemon, flowers, mint and baking spices. Thick and sappy in the mouth, with terrific verve and lightness of touch. Dry, classic and gripping wine with superb persistence. Ramey's portion of this outstanding vineyard features a Wente clone planted in 1972 on Goldridge loam.

89     2002 Ramey Claret Napa Valley
($36) Good full ruby-red. Aromas of cassis, blueberry, roasted plum, melted chocolate, smoke and earth. Lush and silky, with chocolatey flavors showing an almost porty ripeness. Very broad but not overly sweet. Finishes with a wave of dusty tannins.

93     2002 Ramey Diamond Mountain District Napa Valley
($65) Deep, saturated ruby-red. Roasted plum, black raspberry, dark chocolate, tar, licorice and meat on the nose; simultaneously shows a port-like character and a medicinal austerity. Lusher and sweeter than the Claret, with palate-coating flavors of blackberry, blueberry and truffle. "A wine of irrational exuberance," notes Ramey. Finishes very long, with mouthcoating tannins and a ripeness verging on roasted.

94 (+?)     2002 Ramey Jericho Canyon Vineyard Napa Valley
($90) Deep red-ruby. Super-ripe aromas of roasted currant and tobacco. Lush and seamless on the palate but considerably less fat and more refined than the Diamond Mountain offering. The black fruit and mineral flavors are sharply focused if distinctly less evolved than those of the Diamond Mountain Finishes with substantial palate-saturating tannins and excellent structure.

89-91     2003 Ramey Claret Napa Valley
($38) Deep red-ruby. Black fruits and menthol on the nose. Sweet, lush and oaky, with very broad flavors of blueberry, violet and tar. Today this comes across as a bit more minerally and long than the 2002, and finishes with broader tannins.

91-94     2003 Ramey Diamond Mountain District Napa Valley
($75) Full ruby. Brooding aromas of black fruits, licorice, violet and lead pencil. Dry and broad, with a distinctly chocolatey ripeness. Currently shows less flavor interest than the finished 2002, but this is quite unevolved. Finishes with a boatload of tannins.

93-96     2003 Ramey Jericho Canyon Vineyard Napa Valley
($95) Full ruby. Inviting aromas of blackberry and licorice. Offers an exhilarating sweetness in the mouth, with powerful dark fruit flavors lifted and complicated by mineral and floral elements. Magically fresh and light on its feet for such a large-scaled wine, thanks to perfectly integrated acidity. Finishes extremely long, with noble tannins and superb grip. One of the best barrel samples I tasted in March from this vintage. Offers great potential.

 

May-June 2004

89-92     2002 Ramey Claret Napa Valley
($36) Deep ruby-red. Currant, black raspberry and graphite on the nose, along with a note of cough syrup. Sweet, superripe and concentrated but somehow lively despite its rather soft texture. Slightly medicinal flavors of currant and licorice. Ramey notes that this wine just went into the tank and that its big tannins will be refined by a light egg white fining.

91-94     2002 Ramey Diamond Mountain District Napa Valley
($65) Deep ruby. Big, rich nose combines chocolate, game and roasted herbs. Deep and liqueur-like, with extravagant chocolate and spice flavors. Broad and plush but classically dry. Finishes with suave, building tannins and excellent spine.

92-95     2002 Ramey Jericho Canyon Vineyard Napa Valley
($90) Saturated bright ruby. Higher-pitched, more primary aromas of blackberry, blueberry, violet, minerals, bitter chocolate and graphite. Wonderfully sweet and suave in the mouth, with good energy and focus. This, too, is carrying 15+% alcohol, but maintains its balance nicely. The tannins here are powerful but refined. Offers very strong potential. (A retaste of the 2001s showed that the '01 version of this wine was likewise sappier and more mineral-driven than the Diamond Mountain bottling, which showed a thicker texture and a note of smoked meat.)

91     2002 Ramey Chardonnay Russian River Valley
($36) Bright lemon-yellow with a green tinge. Very ripe aromas of candied lemon peel, mirabelle and baking spices. At once generous and sappy, with complex flavors of yellow fruits, apple and spices. Finishes with very good grip. (A second sample came across as somewhat hard-edged owing to some unabsorbed CO2)

91(+?)     2002 Ramey Chardonnay Carneros
($36) 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.