Ramey Rochioli Vineyard Chardonnay 2019

Located in gently rolling terrain north of Carneros Highway, the soils in the Hyde vineyard are quite heavy clay. Vine selection is Old Wente and Long Vineyards, and the vines range from five to twenty-two years old. The Wente is marked by very small grape clusters, with small berries, and the so-called "hen-and-chick"--large and small berries within the same cluster. The Wente produces a classic, Burgundian-style wine, without strong tropical fruit tones of some California Chardonnays, along with some minerality and spice. The Long Vineyards selection adds a floral note, and the Hyde Vineyard wines often seem charming and feminine.

'David Ramey, who is one of the veterans of high-quality winemaking on California’s North Coast, worked in France and at some of the top Napa wineries (Rudd and Dominus) before settling in Healdsburg in Sonoma Valley. He continues to make Chardonnay in a Burgundian style with full malolactic fermentation, and now produces four single-vineyard Chardonnays as well as two generic efforts from the Russian River and Sonoma Coast.' Robert Parker