2012 Chardonnay, Ritchie Vineyard, Russian River Valley
Publications
Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine
Author
Charles Olken
Date
May 2015
Award
92
Review
Although coming across as the tightest and least outgoing of the Ramey Chardonnay clan, this slightly wiry youngster conveys a fine sense of fruity depth and the certain promise to unfold with age. It is presently fixed on citrus and stones with a core smattering of sweeter fruit that is looking to more fully emerge, and, while its ample acidity affords a great deal of brightness and verve, it presently pushes the wine toward narrowing back-palate stiffness. Much like its companion from the Platt Vineyard, it very much wants a fair bit of time in which to evolve, and the smart money says to stash it away and out of reach in the cellar for at least two to four years.
Wine