Ramey

It all started in 1996 with the idea to “make a little chardonnay on the side” and this has now grown into a renowned winery! David Ramey and his wife Carla work together with great passion under the name Ramey Wine Cellars. Before embarking on this adventure, David worked at the world-famous Château Pétrus in France, among others. This experience turned out to be a great inspiration for the winery's way of working.

Vineyards have been planted in Russian River Valley, Los Carneros Sonoma Coast and Oakville, and other places. The plots are carefully chosen for their location, their soil and the possible influence of the sea. Each plot has its own unique characteristics. The vines are grown organically and harvested manually. This, according to David, is the key to high-quality grape bunches.

David and Carla's goal is to produce quality wines using the ripened fruits of Napa Valley and Sonoma Valley. Chardonnay, syrah and cabernet sauvignon play a leading role in this, but for sure, merlot, cabernet franc and pinot noir are also used.

In the cellar, the grapes get the full treatment; fermentation in oak barrels, sur lie maturation, battônage and preferably even malolactic conversion. Although the wines are aged in barrels, the use of oak is not too obvious, which can sometimes be the case in California. A Burgundian approach to winemaking. This results in elegant and harmonious wines, in other words: California-meets-Burgundy. The cuvées are largely named after the names of the vineyards, like Pedregal, Woolsey Road, Claret and Annum. A total of 16 different wines are produced.

“The belief that life is for living, wine is for sharing, and harmony is essential to both,” as they so aptly say at Ramey Wine Cellars. The 2008, 2013 and 2018 vintages are the best vintages of Ramey Wine Cellars. In these years, several of their wines received 94 or 95 points from Robert Parker!