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: 2007 Vintage

93 Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar May/June 2010
Bright green-tinged gold. The richest and most opulent of this set of vineyard chardonnays, displaying ripe peach, melon and nectarine scents, along with toasty lees and a hint of star anise. Broad and deeply concentrated but energetic, offering rich orchard fruit flavors that are given spine by subtle minerality. This seamless, expressive wine is already drinking well and finishes with excellent clarity and sappy persistence.

93 Robert M. Parker Jr.’s The Wine Advocate, February 2010
The single vineyard Chardonnays are all superb. The most structured and backward is the 2007 Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard, which comes across as slightly tannic. Full-bodied with an earthy, rich minerality, fresh, lively poached pear, honeysuckle, and subtle smoke and tropical fruit notes, this well delineated Chardonnay reveals laser-like clarity. It will drink well for 5+ years. All of the single vineyard Chardonnays are aged in two-thirds new French oak, and the generic offerings see one-third new French oak.

94 (two puffs) Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine, May 2010
In 2007, this stunning Chardonnay is our pick of the very good bunch from Ramey. It reflects much the same winemaking hand insofar as it is firm, compact and solidly-structured with nary a suggestion of fat, but it moves to the head of the clan by virtue of its extra richness and depth. While it presently hints at stony complexity and teams generous, wonderfully continuous, young fruit with very deftly fit oak, it has a good distance to go before it fully unwinds, and to drink it before it has had the chance to age for two or three years will be to miss what is sure to be a very grand wine.

92 Wine Spectator, May 5, 2010
Fresh floral and fruity aromas are intense and vibrant, deeply concentrated, young and firm, mixing green apple with spice, honey and honeydew melon and ending with a long, lingering finish. Drink now through 2014.-J.L.

Five stars Ronn Wiegand's Restaurant Wine Issue 133 & 134, Jan/Feb & Mar/Apr, 2010
The Ritchie is very complex in style (more so than previous vintages); a crisp, full bodied, near-Burgundian wine, with intense flavors, and a long finish, tasting of roasted nut, pink grapefruit, vanilla, toast, and honey. 1,275 cases.

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