Ramey 2019 Chardonnay, Russian River Valley

The Russian River Chardonnay hails from cool growing sites, with low vigor soil such as Goldridge Loam. The vines' age range from 13 to 50 years old and are planted to a larger-clustered clone such as UC Davis clone 4, or a younger planting of a Wente or Dijon selection. Vineyard sites include Westside Farms, Dutton, Kilcullen, Woolsey Road, and Rochioli Allen. 

After harvest the grapes are whole-cluster pressed, fermented in Burgundian barrels with native yeast and aged sur lies with batonnage and full malolactic fermentation. The wines are then aged for 12 months in 15% new French oak barrels (François Frères, Taransaud, & Vicard). The wine is bottled without filtration. 

“Coming from special vineyard sites, our Chardonnays show great depth of flavor, length of finish, aromatic complexity, and a fine balance between richness and delicacy. Typically, the climate is cool and the soil vigor low, producing graceful yet vibrant wines.” – David Ramey