2019 Ramey, Westside Farms Vineyard Chardonnay, Russian River Valley,California, USA
Critics reviews
The 2019 Chardonnay Westside Farms Vineyard is creamy and nicely layered. Orange confit, pastry, dried flowers, chamomile and honey build nicely in the glass. All the elements come together effortlessly in this attractive, mid-weight Chardonnay.
This is an intriguing set of new releases from David Ramey. The new Cabernet Sauvignon Colley Ranch is superb, as are all the Cabernets and the Syrah. I find the Chardonnays less interesting because, quite simply, they don’t taste like the David Ramey Chardonnays I grew up with. Picking earlier is fine, but when the personalities of wines are completely altered, well that’s more complicated.
Drink 2022 - 2029
Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com (June 2022)
174 cases were made.
The 2019 Chardonnay Westside Farms Vineyard has deep aromas of baked apples and peaches, crème brûlée, hazelnut and biscuit. Medium-bodied, expansive and creamy, it offers concentrated fruits, gently tangy acidity and a touch of texture that draws out the very long finish.
I visited Ramey to taste with David and his children, Claire and Alan, who will eventually take over the winery from David. The Rameys are always generous in sharing library wines, and we tasted several vintages together. Library wines tend to maintain a sweet core of fruit, and I especially enjoy the mature Chardonnays that offer tremendous savoury layers. 10- to 15-year-old bottles have aged gracefully, and Ramey has been bottling exclusively under Diam for many years.
Drink 2024 - 2034
Erin Brooks, Wine Advocate (July 2022)
A hint of grapefruit on the nose. Broader on the palate than the Russian River Valley bottling so it will presumably last longer, but it’s in a similar idiom. Lime flavours dominate the finish.
Drink 2022 - 2030
Jancis Robinson MW, JancisRobinson.com (September 2022)
This estate vineyard follows the Russian River for over a mile and the vines, planted in 1989, grow in silky loam soils. The nose is reticent but shows apple and pear aromas. It's quite rich and weighty, full-bodied while also showing a light touch. Good underlying acidity gives welcome precision and finesse. Toasty and long.
Drink 2022 - 2030
Stephen Brook, Decanter.com (September 2022)
The 2019 Chardonnay Westside Farms Vineyard is layered and elegant in its floral tones of orange blossom, button mushroom, and peach. It is beautifully balanced on the palate, with pear and savoury mineral character to contrast its floral undercurrent.
Drink 2024 - 2036
Jeb Dunnuck, JebDunnuck.com (August 2022)
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
The 2019 Chardonnay Westside Farms Vineyard is creamy and nicely layered. Orange confit, pastry, dried flowers, chamomile and honey build nicely in the glass. All the elements come together effortlessly in this attractive, mid-weight Chardonnay.
This is an intriguing set of new releases from David Ramey. The new Cabernet Sauvignon Colley Ranch is superb, as are all the Cabernets and the Syrah. I find the Chardonnays less interesting because, quite simply, they don’t taste like the David Ramey Chardonnays I grew up with. Picking earlier is fine, but when the personalities of wines are completely altered, well that’s more complicated.
Drink 2022 - 2029
Antonio Galloni, Vinous.com (June 2022)
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