Chardonnay Russian River Valley 2023 Ramey

Professional reviews

Jancis Robinson (16.50)

Medium lemon. Very open – easy to drink now despite its youth and evident ageability. Leesy and creamy on the nose with ripe apple and pear. The palate is generously textured with fresh acidity and a long finish.

Decanter (95)

Sourced from Lafranchi, Westside Farms, Sonoma Foothills, Martinelli Laughlin, Kilcullen, Dutton Sebastopol, and Frank Johnson—all cool-climate sites with low-vigour soils such as Goldridge loam, planted between 1978 and 2017 and aged for 12 months on the lees in barrel (10% new French oak). This is clean and sleek, a beautifully balanced medium-bodied Chardonnay with luxuriously ripe stone and orchard fruit. Exotic baking spices complement layers of guava, white peach, and macerated mango with apricot. But what’s most impressive is the intensity and purity of the fruit—so precisely delineated, profoundly spicy, and laser-focused. At $50, this is one of the finest, most balanced, and well-structured Chardonnays from the Russian River Valley at this price point.

BOW (8.50)

Full bottle 1,351 g. 26% LaFranchi, 16% Sonoma Foothills, 15% Westside Farms, 13% Martinelli Laughlin, 10% Kilcullen, 8% Dutton Sebastopol, 5% Frank Johnson, 4% Hyde, 3% Woolsey Road. Sites planted between 1975 and 2006. Harvested between 13 September and 14 October. Fruit whole-cluster pressed. Ambient-yeast fermentation and malolactic conversion in 10% new French oak, remainder neutral. Lees stirred. Aged 12 months.