The 2013 Russian River Chardonnay offers lovely aromas of pear and apple notes which are layered with honey blossoms, minerals and lemon zest. On the palate there is a beautiful sense of freshness with wonderful clarity focused around a well balanced core of acidity and minerality before it finishes up with wonderful precision. The fruit was sourced from a array of vineyards across the appellation, including four different Dutton ranches (Perry, Mengle, Sebastopol & Mill Station) as well as from Martinelli’s Laughlin Road Vineyard; King Vineyard; Rochioli vineyards (Allen, Mid-40, River, Hill); Forchini Vineyard; Westside Farms; Frostwatch and Hudson Vineyard. (Best 2016-2021)

This light yellow colored Chardonnay opens with a fragrant Bartlett pear and Gala apple bouquet with hint of oak and lemon custard. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied, displays a good amount of acidity which leads to it being mouthwatering. The flavor profile is a mineral infused tart green apple with notes of lemon-lime, tangerine and mild oak. I also detected hints of butterscotch in the background. The finish is dry and its flavors fade away nicely. This Chard is food friendly. It would pair well with a lobster casserole. Enjoy - Ken

The 2013 Chardonnay Russian River is a relatively large cuvée of between 12,000 and 15,000 cases. It offers up loads of baking spices, orange marmalade, white peach and honeysuckle. It is medium to full-bodied, pure, and at the same time, combines power and elegance. This should be drunk in its first several years of life.

The 2013 Chardonnay (Russian River Valley) is another terrific entry-level Chardonnay from David Ramey. Here it is the wine's richness and creaminess that really stand out. Honey, apricot pit, mint, butter and dried flowers blossom are some of the signatures. This is a real overachiever in its class.

The fruit for this appellation Chardonnay is sourced from a virtual smorgasbord of prestigious and iconic vineyards, including from four different Dutton blocks and four Rochioli blocks. The sum of all the parts is a very popular, high production rendition of Chardonnay that fulfills everyone’s perception of what a Russian River Chardonnay should be. Rounder, weightier and richer with flavors of pear, lemon custard and vanilla, with a warm, comforting mouthfeel enveloped in new French and Hungarian oak. Fine length, and finishes with a mineral bite for some contrapuntal complexity.