2020 Chardonnay Ritchie
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Tasting notes
Ritchie is planted on gravelly, sandy Goldridge loam, originating from the bed of an ancient inland sea, over volcanic Tuff rock. The vine rows slope down from an old, volcanic vent jutting up through the sandstone. Planted to old Wente selection, with a few scattered Musqué selection vines planted in 1972. Whole-cluster pressed. Juice is browned out (deliberately oxidised to help with mouthfeel and mitigate any potential issues with premox) in the press pan and tank and then lightly sulphured prior to being put into barrel. Ambient-yeast fermentation and malolactic conversion. Lees-stirring occurs every two weeks while the wine is going through malolactic conversion. Aged 20 months in 20% new French oak barrels. Medium lemon in colour. Rich fruit with ripe mango, candied pineapple, ripe Meyer lemon, vanilla blossom and toast. Elevated acidity with density and concentrated flavour. Long finish. More viscosity than the 2020 Carneros. Broad, creamy mid palate with a long finish. (SCJ)
Critic scores
Average Score
Jancis Robinson MW
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2020 Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard is light in body, but also tightly wound and a bit assertive at this stage. Citrus peel, white flowers, mint and savory notes open in the glass. This is another commendable effort for the year.
The straw-colored 2020 Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard offers up expressive aromas of white flowers, lemon curd, baked apple, and ripe fresh fruit. Full-bodied and rounded, it has an opulent feel although it’s all in balance and has clean lift as well as a ripe, creamy texture, with notes of orange custard and fresh apricot. Drink it over the next 10-12 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.
The 2020 Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard, harvested August 13 and 19, is deep and savory, with gregarious aromas of apple pie, beeswax, roasted almonds and flinty streaks. Full-bodied and concentrated, the palate is balanced by bright acidity and it has a long, layered finish. It's drinking beautifully already with all its savory exuberance.