Sourced entirely from Charles Ranch and pouring a pale straw color, the 2021 Chardonnay Fort Ross-Seaview is fresh and lifted with aromas of salted lime, sea spray, agave, and green pineapple. On the palate. this medium-bodied white is spritely with notes of crunchy fresh fruit and has a silky soft, stony texture to round out its linear drive. It’s fresh with vibrant energy and ripe fruit, white peach, and fresh flowers. Drink it over the next 6-8 years.
Founded in 1996 by David and Carla Ramey, the Rameys are continuing to produce benchmark wines, while raising the bar for what Sonoma can achieve. In 2022, the Healdsburg-based winery was officially handed over to their children, Claire and Alan, who now share responsibility as co-presidents. During my tasting with Dave, Claire, and Alan, they arranged several side-by-side comparisons with reference point wines from other wine regions. The highlight of these comparisons came when I tasted the 2020 Chardonnay Hyde Vineyard alongside the Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey 2020 Saint-Aubin Premier Cru En Remilly Hommage A Marguerite (94 points), as well as the Domaine Michelot 2020 Meursault Premier Cru Perrieres (92 points). While the Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey was wonderfully impressive and textural, the Hyde had fantastic purity and length by comparison. The Domaine Michelot has the structure to have some longevity but felt a touch weedy, which masked its otherwise purer characteristics of green apple, citrus, and toast. It fell short compared to the Hyde and the Saint-Aubin, which was surprising considering the pedigree of this Premiere Cru site from Meursault. The overarching theme across the tasting was the longevity and balanced nature of the wines from Ramey, which comes as less and less of a shock to me as I get to know their wines more intimately. Though I personally have an affinity for the whites, these wines offer tremendous value with age-worthiness across the portfolio.
Winespectator (94)
Vibrant and effusive, with energetic lime sherbet, lemon oil, citron and tangerine notes at the core. Shows aromatic details of lemon verbena, lemongrass and lemon basil, with a touch of green tea and white pepper on the fresh, juicy frame. Drink now
Wine Enthusiast (93)
This bracing, tangy, spicy wine boasts aromas of butter and toast, flavors of poached pears, vanilla and wood char, while a tingly, slightly gripping texture adds a crisp finish. Made from cool, coastal vineyards, it needs time to mellow in mouthfeel and gain more subtlety.
