Ramey Chardonnay Russian River Valley 2005

Rating: 91/100 - As reviewed by International Wine Cellar in Issue 132, May/June 2007 ($38) Light gold. Strong smoke and minerals complement fresh pear and apple aromas. Crisp and linear, with vibrant orchard fruit flavors, a gentle hint of smoked meat and lively acidity on the close. Lots of flavor here but no undue weight or fat; this is strikingly racy.

Ramey Chardonnay Russian River This vintage marks a significant change in our Russian River grape sourcing. For the first time we�ve included four vineyards from Rochioli Vineyards, including Allen, as one-third of the blend; three vineyards from the Dutton Ranches (27%); with 29% continuing to come from the Charles Heintz Ranch near Occidental. There is also 11% from the small Green Pastures Vineyard: 37-year-old Wente in a pocket canyon up Felta Creek Road. Perhaps because of the new components, we think it's our finest Russian River Chardonnay to date. Goldridge loam and gravelly read more...soils provide a crisper mouthfeel to Russian River Chardonnays compared with their Carneros counterparts.    (hide)

Rating: 93/100 - As reviewed by Vinfolio Ramey ensures the only variable in the Appellation Series is the site in order to properly emphasize the terroir of the region. Each of the wines is blended from several different sources, For Russian River, the blend includes for the first time, four lots sourced from Rochioli Vineyards, along with three lots from Dutton Ranch and Charles Heintz, along with a small lot of 37 year-old Wente sourced from Green Pastures Vineyard. The oak program for these wines is usually in the 25 to 40 percent new range and they only spend about 12 months in barrel before being racked to tank. They see the same production read more...regimen as the designated wines: whole cluster pressing, native yeast fermentation along with a full malolactic secondary fermentation. An excellent introduction to the Ramey Chardonnay. The nose is a dense mineral infused lemon and pear. On the palate the flavors are full bodied and chalky with clean, citrus-focused acidity Drink 2007-2013.    (hide)