2013 Chardonnay (Russian River 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 begin with these wines from David Ramey, as there are so many highlights, but one common theme is the quality of the entry-level wines. The appellation-level Chardonnays, Pinot, Syrah and Claret all deliver serious quality for the money. As always, the Chardonnays are made in a rich, Burgundian-leaning style that emphasizes relatively long aging in barrel by California standards. The reds all capture a highly attractive stylistic middle ground that offers plenty of New World, California fruit wedded to an Old World sense of structure. In addition to the wines reviewed here, I also tasted a number of wines that were in an awkward stage of their elevage, just before bottling, including the 2014 Claret, 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Pedregal Vineyard, 2013 Syrah Cole Creek Vineyard and 2013 Syrah Rodgers Creek Vineyard. I will report on those wines once they have had time to settle down after bottling. Lastly, Ramey has a new range of entry-level wines, Sidebar, that features varieties such as Kerner, Sauvignon and red Rhône grapes that are not already in the Ramey portfolio. The Sidebar wines are a work in progress at this stage, but there is good potential here as well.