2017 Ramey, Westside Farms Vineyard Chardonnay, Russian River Valley,California, USA
Critics reviews
The 2017 Chardonnay Westside Farms is another of the more exuberant wines in this range. Apricot, lightly honeyed notes, chamomile and dried flowers come together in an ample, creamy Chardonnay. Floral overtones add lift that extends the finish nicely.
David Ramey is one of the few producers in California that excels with all of the main varieties. The wines are generally rich and luscious, but in recent years some of that has been dialed back, most notably on the Chardonnays. There are plenty of highlights in this range, including the Chardonnays, which are terrific in 2017. As always, Ramey favors a more Burgundian approach to aging, with longer time in barrel than is typical in California. Readers should also take a close look at the Claret and Napa Valley Cabernet, both of which offer fine value in today's world.
Drink 2020 - 2027
Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com (January 2020)
216 cases were made.
The 2017 Chardonnay Westside Farms Vineyard opens with soft white apricots, peaches and floral perfume with nuances of honey and hazelnuts. Medium-bodied and silky, it swells with honeyed flavours in the mouth, refreshed by tangy acidity and finishing long and minerally. 216 cases produced. This comes from Ramey's new estate vineyard, purchased in 2014, located close to Rochioli along the Russian River.
Drink 2020 - 2025
Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate (July 2020)
Quite a hot year. Pale straw. Mealy, evolved nose and the palate is not quite as seamless as some of the 2019s. Slightly saline finish.
Drink 2020 - 2027
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com (July 2022)
The nose is juicy and accessible, with apple compote and pear aromas. Rich and suave, it's a full-bodied wine with weight and depth of flavour. There's volume here but enough acidity to ensure it's not heavy. The mid-palate is creamy and the finish is long.
Drink 2022 - 2028
Stephen Brook, Decanter.com (September 2022)
The smallest production Chardonnay in the lineup, the 2017 Chardonnay Westside Farms Vineyard comes from a site in the Russian River Valley and spent 20 months in 20% new French oak. As with all these 2017s from David Ramey, it reveals a vivid, medium gold hue as well as classic Chardonnay notes of white flowers, orchard fruits, flower blossom, honeysuckle, and toasted bread. The oak is nicely integrated, it's medium to full-bodied, has bright acidity, and a great, great finish. It rivals the 2016 (and is better than the 2015) and can be enjoyed any time over the coming 10-15 years.
Drink 2020 - 2035
Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com (May 2020)
About this WINE
Ramey Wine Cellars
David Ramey, renowned for his work at Dominus, founded Ramey Wine Cellars with his wife Carla in 1996. Inspired by European styles and his experience at Petrus, David applied old-world techniques to Napa and Sonoma fruit, pioneering a unique approach in California winemaking.
Starting with two Chardonnay from Hyde and Hudson vineyards, David emphasised terroir by vinifying them identically, letting the fruit express the vineyard’s character. Today, Ramey focuses on Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, with grapes sourced from top vineyards in Napa and Sonoma, and has expanded to include Syrah, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Pinot Noir.
David advocates for better farming practices, managing leased vineyards organically and collaborating with growers to promote sustainability. In the winery, his Burgundian approach includes gentle pressing, barrel fermentation, ageing on fine lees, and malolactic fermentation. He avoids making wines solely for critics, instead aiming for balanced, expressive wines.
Russian River Valley
This low-lying valley Sonoma County in and its 10,000 acres of vineyards was virtually unknown before 1983, when it was granted official appellation status (Russian River Valley AVA).
It has since established a formidable reputation as a prime spot for challenging varieties like Pinot Noir (29% of the acreage in 2007), which thrives in this cool-climate region. Chardonnay (42% of the acreage in 2007) has also blossomed here, showing a signature lean and restrained profile.
The Russian River Valley climate is influenced by cooling fogs, drawn inland from the Pacific. This natural air-conditioning allows the grapes to develop full flavor maturity over an extended growing season, while retaining their life-giving natural acidity.
Chardonnay
Chardonnay is often seen as the king of white wine grapes and one of the most widely planted in the world It is suited to a wide variety of soils, though it excels in soils with a high limestone content as found in Champagne, Chablis, and the Côte D`Or.
Burgundy is Chardonnay's spiritual home and the best White Burgundies are dry, rich, honeyed wines with marvellous poise, elegance and balance. They are unquestionably the finest dry white wines in the world. Chardonnay plays a crucial role in the Champagne blend, providing structure and finesse, and is the sole grape in Blanc de Blancs.
It is quantitatively important in California and Australia, is widely planted in Chile and South Africa, and is the second most widely planted grape in New Zealand. In warm climates Chardonnay has a tendency to develop very high sugar levels during the final stages of ripening and this can occur at the expense of acidity. Late picking is a common problem and can result in blowsy and flabby wines that lack structure and definition.
Recently in the New World, we have seen a move towards more elegant, better- balanced and less oak-driven Chardonnays, and this is to be welcomed.
When is a wine ready to drink?
We provide drinking windows for all our wines. Alongside the drinking windows there is a bottle icon and a maturity stage. Bear in mind that the best time to drink a wine does also depend on your taste.
Not ready
These wines are very young. Whilst they're likely to have lots of intense flavours, their acidity or tannins may make them feel austere. Although it isn't "wrong" to drink these wines now, you are likely to miss out on a lot of complexity by not waiting for them to mature.
Ready - youthful
These wines are likely to have plenty of fruit flavours still and, for red wines, the tannins may well be quite noticeable. For those who prefer younger, fruitier wines, or if serving alongside a robust meal, these will be very enjoyable. If you choose to hold onto these wines, the fruit flavours will evolve into more savoury complexity.
Ready - at best
These wines are likely to have a beautiful balance of fruit, spice and savoury flavours. The acidity and tannins will have softened somewhat, and the wines will show plenty of complexity. For many, this is seen as the ideal time to drink and enjoy these wines. If you choose to hold onto these wines, they will become more savoury but not necessarily more complex.
Ready - mature
These wines are likely to have plenty of complexity, but the fruit flavours will have been almost completely replaced by savoury and spice notes. These wines may have a beautiful texture at this stage of maturity. There is lots to enjoy when drinking wines at this stage. Most of these wines will hold in this window for a few years, though at the very end of this drinking window, wines start to lose complexity and decline.
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Description
We’ve stepped up a gear here but in a subtle way. This is a tightly wound single vineyard with a complex array of sweet spice, vanilla pods and white chocolate on the nose. Chardonnay is on flying form at the 2017 Westside Farms site and you can feel the sunshine of Russian River emanating from the glass. Apricot pastries, custard creams with acidity that lifts the wine. The wine is viscous, full and juicy and whilst it’s ready to go now, I would give it a bit of time in the cellar. The lasting citrus flavour on the finish keeps you coming back for one more sip.
Drink 2022 - 2033
Berry Bros. & Rudd
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