2007 Cabernet Sauvignon (Napa Valley)

David Ramey is between releases for some of his bottlings, so I tasted fewer wines than I would have in most years. Ramey did send a few older vintages, which I have included in this report because the wines tend to age well. I especially admire the Chardonnays in this range, as they are so distinctive. Ramey is among the very few producers in California who favors longer aging of 20 months in barrel for his vineyard designates, an approach I personally think works very well with top sites. In recent years, Ramey has been joined by his children Claire and Alan, so the future looks pretty bright.

It's hard to know where to start with these wines from David Ramey, as the lineup is full of highlights. Among the Chardonnays, the Rochioli Vineyard, a new vineyard designate, is terrific. The Woolsey Road Chardonnay is also quite distinctive. Ramey gives his single-vineyard Chardonnays 19 months on the lees, a standard Burgundian aging regime that is far less common in California. The 2014 Cabernets have also turned out beautifully. Ramey's Cabernets are powerful wines that offer quite a bit of richness, but without being excessive. I have included notes on a few 2007s to give readers an idea of how the wines age.

"Syrah's image to American consumers, I hate to say, was seriously damaged by the Australians," David Ramey told me. "First, they didn't call it syrah. Then, they made it sweet, and after that they made it cheap. Now, it's an incredible struggle to get people to buy these wines for what they're worth so more and more people, growers and producers, are just giving up on the grape." Ramey himself has made his last Shanel Vineyard syrah (the 2006) and is now producing a SonomaCoast syrah that's intended for earlier drinking and priced at about one-third less than his Rodgers Creek bottling. He drew a comparison between 2007 in Napa and 1982 in Bordeaux, saying that although the wines have big immediate appeal he thinks they'll have a smooth aging trajectory and never really close up. As for 2008, he says that "it isn't an easygoing vintage. The wines are looking very direct and will need some time to gain breadth."

David Ramey calls 2007 "a seamless, unforced vintage where we were able to pick at will rather than being rushed by heat spikes or rainstorms." He went on: "Everybody should have been able to get the type of fruit that they were looking for." This was especially welcome with his chardonnay, he added, "because I want green grapes, not golden ones." Ramey noted that the 2007 reds "are very tannic, analytically, but the wines don't come across that way," adding that he thinks they will reward patience but without ever going through too much of a cranky phase. Ramey showed me a mini-vertical of Hyde chardonnay to emphasize that wine's ability to improve with age. The 2002 offered a compelling blend of honeyed, truffley richness and citrus bite, while the 2001 showed deep, smoky butterscotch and singed orange character. The 2000 was intensely spicy and mineral-driven and the 1999 was fully mature, with deep, buttery pear and melon flavors and a downright nervy spiciness.