2007 Chardonnay, Ritchie Vineyard, Russian River Valley
Publications
Vinous
Author
Stephen Tanzer
Date
July 2017
Award
92
Review
Bright, healthy yellow with a gold tinge. Less open on the nose than the 2008 but ultimately more complex, offering musky yet youthful scents of fresh peach, apricot, butterscotch and toasty, spicy oak. Wonderfully rich and savory in the mouth, with an almost tactile quality to its spiciness. Quite youthful for its age, still retaining primary flavors of peach and apricot. Subtle underlying minerality provides focus and extends the lightly phenolic finish. Interestingly, Ramey told me he wishes he had picked this fruit at 23 degrees Brix rather than 24.
Wine