Last Friday I enjoyed an hour with wine legend, David Ramey. It has been a year since we had met and we spoke at length about his new Chardonnays. “2020 was a really good vintage and a lot of people don’t know that” he said. “We had near perfect weather before the smoke came” he explained.
I was there during the heat of the fires that year and I witnessed the devastation firsthand. Ramey said that he fortunately had few lots that were affected by the smoke that year. His Chardonnays were very clean and mineral-driven — they were beautiful wines with no smoke impact. Over the past few years he has been dialing back oak influence in his wines, using less and less new French oak. His Chardonnays show good stuffing but also a wonderful level of tension.
There is good reason why Ramey has been named one of the Chardonnay masters of the world. I adored the new 2020 Ramey Wine Cellars ‘Fort Ross-Seaview’ Chardonnay (OB, 93) which is wonderfully salty and fresh, beautifully showcasing this site near the Pacific Ocean. One of the great Chardonnay wines that I have tasted in the past year, the 2019 Ramey Wine Cellars ‘Hyde Vineyard’ Chardonnay (OB, 96) is intense and flavorful with a silky mouthfeel and wonderful elegance. The finish just won’t quit! Learn more at rameywinecellars.com and here are my reviews of the outstanding new wines by David Ramey.
2020 Ramey ‘Russian River Valley’ Chardonnay- The 2020 Russian River Valley’ Chardonnay spent twelve months on the lees and barrel (10% new). Mostly sourced from the Westside Farms Vineyard (45%) as well as the Dutton and Frank Johnson Vineyards, right away this opens with brioche bread with shades of cardamom and allspice, alongside ripe cantaloupe. The palate is very fresh, with a sterling tension that runs through the brilliant core of melon and citrus fruits, with an electric and very lengthy finish. Drink 2022-2030- 93
2020 Ramey ‘Fort Ross-Seaview’ Chardonnay- Stored in only 15% new French oak, this shows salty and tangy, the 2020 Ramey ‘Fort Ross-Seaview’ Chardonnay comes from the Martinelli Charles Ranch Vineyard, which is set on the second ridge in from the Pacific Ocean. This offers salted pear and Challah bread notes with copious baking spices on the nose. The palate is filled with mouth-watering acidity and tension that brings you back to the glass for more salty and savory enjoyment. This is very difficult to put down. Drink 2022-2030- 93
2020 Ramey ‘Woolsey Road Vineyard’ Chardonnay- Dense on the palate, the Woolsey Road Vineyard’ comes form a site that is located immediately south from the Martinelli winery. The Chardonnay was planted by the Martinellis for David Ramey back in the mid-2000s. This Wente Clonal selection Chardonnay was stored in 24% new French oak for 20 months before bottling. Big on the mouth, this offers ripe banana and suggestions of papaya flavors, with strong flinty underpinnings. Finishing exceedingly long, enjoy this beauty now and over the next decade. Drink 2022-2034- 95
2020 Ramey ‘Hyde Vineyard’ Chardonnay- Talk about a world-class Chardonnay, the 2020 Ramey ‘Hyde Vineyard’ Chardonnay is a mouth-watering, intense and satisfying journey from the beginning to the end. Old Wente and Calera clonal selections, this runs the gamut of flavors — from tropical and melon fruits, to suggestions of salted Macadamia nut and wet stone — all leading to the exceedingly long, and very gratifying finish. Don’t serve this too cool! Drink 2022-2036- 96
2020 Ramey ‘Westside Farms’ Chardonnay- Also very dense, the 2020 Ramey ‘Westside Farms’ Chardonnay (Clone 4) was stored for 18 months in concrete eggs before bottling. Immediately gratifying this offers cardamom dusted banana bread and salty soil flavors alongside suggestions of roasted pineapple, with nutty accents on the palate. Very smooth throughout the drinking experience, the seamless texture impresses. Full-bodied, with plenty of finesse, enjoy now and over the next twelve plus years. Drink 2022-2036- 95
2018 Ramey ‘Russian River Valley’ Pinot Noir- This is now the fifth vintage of this stunning ‘Russian River Valley’ Pinot Noir offers beautiful balance from this warm vintage. Stored in roughly 50% new French oak for 18 months, on the mouth the soft mouthfeel immediately entices. Layers of cran-cola, cedar, wintergreen and tart strawberry with morel mushroom all combine with copious minerals on the palate. Very layered, the exceptionally long finish adds to the enjoyment. Drink 2022-2036- 94
2017 Ramey ‘Cooley Ranch’ Cabernet Sauvignon- The 2017 Ramey ‘Cooley Ranch’ Cabernet Sauvignon comes from a cooler site that is located in the northern corner of Sonoma County. This ranch encompasses thousands of acres and is very remote. This is quite simply a stunning new wine by David Ramey. On the nose this takes on red bell pepper with blackberry compote and underbrush notes alongside shades of pencil lead. The combination of concentration, mouthfeel and finesse is outstanding. Very well balanced, with tar, mocha, anise and shades of loamy soils. The stony element of the wine really impresses. Give this at least an hour in the decanter before enjoying. Drink 2022-2038- 95
2018 Ramey ‘Oakville’ Cabernet Franc- This 2018 Cabernet Franc comes from a stony, tighly-spaced vineyard which is near Rudd Winery. Given 100% new French oak for 22 months this offers incredible black and blue fruits with suggestions of Turkish coffee on the nose. The palate is massive and round, with a seamless mouthfeel. Finishing very long, give this at least another year in the bottle for this to fully come together. There is incredible potential here. Drink 2023-2042- 95