A really good Sonoma producer of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, Ram’s Gate offers a range of unique tasting opportunities with their vineyard designate wines. They even offer a five course wine and food pairing in their dramatic hillside setting right outside of Carneros. Last year I had the chance to taste with Director of Winemaking at Ram’s Gate Winery, Joe Nielsen and we chatted about their approach which is showcasing the special vineyard sites in their program.
Following nearly ten years at Donelan Family Wines in Santa Rosa, Joe became Director of Winemaking at Ram’s Gate in 2018. I think that these might be the best wines I have ever tasted from this house. I adored the very Chablis 2018 Ram’s Gate ‘Flora Marie Vineyard’ Chardonnay (OB, 92) which is vibrant and fresh with stony undertones. The best wine I tried was the sinfully good 2018 Ram’s Gate ‘Hyde Vineyard’ Syrah (OB, 94) which shows off gobs of tension and insanely good range with salty undertones. This full-throttle joyride has a long way to go but it is irresistible in its youth. Learn more about these great new wines at ramsgatewinery.com and here are my tasting notes of the outstanding new wines.
2018 Ram’s Gate ‘Flora Marie Vineyard’ Chardonnay- Aged for eleven months in 33% new French oak this Russian River Valley Chardonnay shows off pretty white peach tones with toasty oak and sourdough bread aromatically. The palate is fresh and vibrant with plenty of lemon oil and stony soil tones alongside shades of green apple. Enjoy this beautiful, very Chablisesque wine over the next seven plus years. Drink 2021-2028- 92
2018 Ram’s Gate ‘Cellar Note’ Chardonnay- Sourced from the Sonoma Coast AVA, the 2018 ‘Cellar Note’ shows off a light dusting of salinity that falls upon rich orchard fruits with hints of vanilla cream on the palate. Full-bodied and rich, enjoy this beautiful bottling over the next seven to ten years. Drink 2021-2028- 92
2018 Ram’s Gate ‘Gap’s Crown’ Pinot Noir- One of the famed sites in the Sonoma Coast AVA, the ‘Gap’s Crown Vineyard’ has a massive maritime effect with cool breezes and constant fog. Utilizing Dijon clone 777, the wine opens with suggestions of teaberry, cran-orange, peat moss and salty undertones on the palate. This finishes very long. Great to enjoy in its youth, the 2018 ‘Gap’s Crown’ Pinot Noir has another twelve plus years to go in the cellar. Drink 2021-2033- 93
2018 Ram’s Gate ‘El Diablo Vineyard’ Pinot Noir- The ‘El Diablo Vineyard’ is a rocky site that is located right off of Eastside Road in the Russian River Valley. Aromatically this is already very nicely evolved with black tea, exotic spices and tilled soil tones alongside a core of red fruits. The palate is fresh, polished and beautifully textured with great length and a beautiful purity of red fruit. Enjoy this outstanding wine over the next twelve to fifteen years. Drink 2021-2035- 93
2018 Ram’s Gate ‘Hyde Vineyard’ Syrah- The Ram’s Gate ‘Hyde Vineyard’ Syrah underwent 55% whole cluster fermentation and spent 20 months in 25% new French oak before bottling. Deeply concentrated, rich and viscous, this takes the lead with blackberry jam, mulling spices, cigar ash and shades of salty loamy soils. Full-bodied and highly novel, with a great veil of tension, this beautiful bottling is outstanding to consume now and will provide drinking enjoyment for at least another decade. But why wait? Drink 2021-2034- 94
2018 Ram’s Gate ‘Grenache/Syrah Cellar Note’ Red Wine- A unique wine for the Carneros AVA, this combines near equal parts of Grenache and Syrah, as this saw 20 months in French oak (33%) new before bottling. Delicious and lithe, with rich red currant, boysenberry and Chinese black tea flavors with salty undertones, this outstanding new bottling will cellar well over the next ten plus years. Drink 2021-2033- 93
2018 Ram’s Gate ‘Bismark Vineyard’ Cabernet Sauvingon- This Moon Mountain AVA spent 18 months in 65% new French oak before bottling. Silky smooth upon entry, the Cabernet reveals dark chocolate and huckleberry flavors alongside coffee grounds and smoky minerals on the palate. Enjoy this great new wine over the next ten to fifteen years. Drink 2021-2033- 93