2018 Ritchie Vineyard Chloe Chardonnay

The 2018 Chardonnay Chloe Ritchie Vineyard is the last vintage of Ritchie Vineyard from Dumol, a vineyard designate they have made for 20 years. "The old vines are no longer economic," says Dumol winemaker Andy Smith, "so there's a replanting scheme going on." The Ritchie goes out with a bang—it's a gorgeous wine, offering youthfully shy hints of tangerine, hazelnuts, flint and honey-oat character. The palate is medium-bodied, silky, concentrated and expansive with dynamic acidity to lift the rich fruit, lingering in the mouth for a very long finish. It will benefit from another three to five years in bottle and should be very long lived.

The 2018 Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard Chloe is a more rounded, fleshy effort that still plays in the vibrant, more chiseled style favored by this estate. Beautiful crushed citrus, pineapple, Meyer lemon, and white flower notes all dominate the bouquet, and this beauty hits the palate with a rich yet racy style that carries loads of fruit and texture as well as bright acidity. I love it, and while it's great today, it promises to shine for 7-8 years and have a gradual evolution beyond that as well. This was easily the finest set of releases I have tasted from winemaker Andy Smith.

The 2018 Chardonnay Chloe Ritchie Vineyard offers a beguiling interplay of rich, dense fruit and super-expressive aromatics that make for a complete and deeply satisfying wine from this highly regarded site.