Situated directly in the center of the Russian River appellation, our block of Kent Ritchie’s vineyard was planted in 1972 to the old Wente selection. Widely spaced—the fashion at the time—these old vines with their gnarly trunks produce tiny quantities of grapes per vine. The benchland soil is pure Goldridge Loam, common to great vineyards in this part of the Russian River Valley.

Highlighted Reviews: 2005 Vintage

95    Robert M. Parker Jr.’s The Wine Advocate, December 2007
The 2005 Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard shows crushed rock, white currant, citrus oil, pineapple, peach, and apricot characteristics. Long, rich, and deep with strong acidity, it should be consumed over the next 4-5 years.

92    California Grapevine, Vol. 32, No. 6, Dec 2006-Jan 2007, p. 110
Medium-light yellow color; attractive, intense, complex, toasty, spiced apple aroma with notes of lemon zest and butterscotch; full body; tight, citrussy, nutty, green apple flavors with good depth and well integrated oak; well balanced and structured; lingering aftertaste. Very appealing to taste now though it should continue to develop and improve with several more years of bottle aging. Very highly recommended.

Highlighted Reviews: 2004 Vintage

93    Robert M. Parker Jr.'s The Wine Advocate 12-22-06
The 2004 Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard exhibits wonderfully sweet brioche, bee’s wax, honeyed pineapple, and some hazelnut notes. It has crisp acidity, a rich, long, full-bodied finish, and a style that seems to beautifully transpose a European allegiance to elegance with a California predilection for ripeness. That is what is so admirable about not only the Chardonnays from Ramey but the red wines as well.

91    Steven Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar May/June 07
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    California Grapevine, Vol. 32, No. 6, Dec 2006-Jan 2007, p. 111
Medium-light yellow; attractive, forward, intense, toasty, buttery, ripe tropical fruit aroma with notes of citrus, toasted hazelnut, and butterscotch; full body; rich, textured, toasty, ripe Chardonnay fruit flavors; well balanced and structured for bottle aging; lingering aftertaste. This is the third vineyard-designated Chardonnay released by Ramey this fall. Very highly recommended.

89 (one puff)     Connoisseurs’ Guide to California Wine, February 2007
We can see some of the same firmness and tight linearity of the Hudson Vineyard bottling here, but whereas that wine is a bit sparing in fruit, this one comes with an amplified sense of fresh apples and pears, and it keeps oak to a quiet, complementary role. Solid, alive and entirely capable of aging well, this vigorous youngster can safely be set aside for another two or three years of positive development.

Highlighted Reviews: 2003 Vintage

95 (three puffs)     Connoisseurs’ Guide to California Wine, June 2006
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.

95    Robert M. Parker Jr.'s The Wine Advocate 12-26-05, Issue 162
The 2003 Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard, from a vineyard planted in 1972 with the Old Wente clone on Goldridge soils, shows opulent levels of tropical fruit intermixed with beeswax and orange skin/nectarine notes. It is full-bodied, with a superb purity, terrific acidity, and a long, heady finish.

93   Steven Tanzer’s International Wine Cellar May/June 2006
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.

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