2022 Ramey, Westside Farms Vineyard Chardonnay, Russian River Valley, California, USA

Full bottle 1,352 g. Spring Mountain selection planted in 1989. Fruit harvested on 19 August. Whole-cluster pressed. Ambient-yeast fermentation and malolactic conversion in 20% new French oak, remainder neutral. Lees stirred. Aged 20 months. 

Medium lemon. Tight and closed on the nose but with distinct chalky minerality. A light musk and lemon pith to the palate. Densely textured but not extraordinarily giving at the moment. 

Sourced from Ramey’s 30-hectare ranch, which has been farmland since the mid-1800s and borders a mile and a half of the Russian River. The vineyard shares the same silty Yolo loam soils as Rochioli Vineyard, located just a mile north. This wine brims with fruit intensity and deep, layered flavours—citrus peel richness, toasted almonds, and a remarkable salty depth. Candied ginger and cedarwood spices weave through brown spice accents, but what stands out most is the noteworthy tension that gives this wine its drive.

Sourced from Block 1 of the property, the last of the 1989 plantings, this Chardonnay is rooted in AXR rootstock, dry-farmed, and known to struggle in drought years. These vines won’t be around forever, making this a rare opportunity—if you can find it, this long-lived Chardonnay will reward patience in the cellar for years to come.