Ramey Sonoma Coast Fort Ross Seaview Chardonnay 2021

David Ramey started his career in wine with an enology degree and a dream. Over the course of two decades, he made benchmark wines for California wineries such as Matanzas Creek, Chalk Hill, Dominus and Rudd. In 1996, David Ramey and his wife Carla founded Ramey Wine Cellars. "Owning one's own winery is the dream of every winemaker," David says, looking back on the path that led him to build his own. It took time, planning and a profound understanding of how best to bring together all the elements-from the grapes, to the winery materials, and a top-notch team of professionals-to make it all work.

This is the third vintage to come exclusively from the Martinelli Charles Ranch, two miles in from the Pacific at 1,115 ft elevation. Coming from this very special vineyard site, Ramey's Fort Ross Seaview Sonoma Coast Chardonnay show great depth of flavor, length of finish, aromatic complexity, and a fine balance between richness and delicacy. This vineyard has a typically cool climate, low vigor soil, and a vine selection that generates small berries, small clusters and inherently low yields.

Ramey presses the fruit whole cluster for delicacy. Native-yeast and full native malolactic fermentation take place in barrel, with sur lies bâtonnage. After aging 12 months in 15% new French oak barrels (François Frères and Taransaud Beaune), the Chardonnay was traditionally fined for clarity and texture during the following harvest and bottled without filtration.