“Year after year the wines from Ramey Wine Cellars are nothing short of spectacular. Their dedication to creating high quality, handcrafted wines with balance and richness from the area’s finest vineyards has certainly paid off.”
INTERNATIONAL WINE REPORT
After making wine at Château Pétrus, Dominus, Chalk Hill and Rudd Estate, David Ramey settled into his own brand in 1996 and focused on Cabernet Sauvignon from Napa and Chardonnay from Sonoma. The wines, as he says, are "bold, but in check." They’re intense, vibrant and refined.
Antonio Galloni: “It’s hard to know where to begin with these wines from David Ramey, as there are so many highlights, but one common theme is the quality of the entry-level wines. The appellation-level Chardonnays and Claret deliver serious quality for the money.”
Over the years, David has helped pioneer traditional, artisan winemaking techniques in California during a period when making wine by the University book was the norm. His efforts have helped shape the way many wines in the United States are made today, including the elimination of skin contact for most white grapes; the use of oxidised juice in making white wine; sur lie ageing of white wines in barrel; malolactic fermentation of Chardonnay; native yeast fermentation; harvesting fully mature fruit; eliminating acidification of red wines, and bottling without filtration.
Chardonnay has long been the apple of Ramey’s eye. He produces six: four vineyard designates plus appellation blends from the Sonoma Coast and Russian River Valley. The only one from Napa is the Hyde Vineyard Carneros, and it was Larry Hyde who sold David and Carla Ramey their first load of grapes for their new brand nearly 20 years ago. Ritchie and Woolsey Road vineyards are in Russian River Valley, Platt on the Sonoma Coast.
In late 2012, the Ramey's bought Westside Farms in Russian River Valley, near the famous Rochioli Vineyard. It’s their first vineyard acquisition, and grapes from the 17ha of Chardonnay there will go into the bottle with the 2013 vintage. A new winery and tasting room are also planned. Ramey embraces Old-World winemaking techniques and applies them, plus a modern twist or two, to sunny Californian fruit. "Kids don’t get trained that way anymore," he laments.
Featured Wines
Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley
2016
"This wine vastly over-delivers on its price point—a rarity in its category and peers. Made from grapes throughout the appellation, the majority from St. Helena, it blends in small amounts of Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec and Cab Franc. Turned earth, pungent tobacco leaf and currant define its savoury, substantially structured elegance that offers room to age."
94 points, Wine Enthusiast
Russian River Valley Chardonnay
2019
"This crisp, complex wine delivers elegant layers of tangerine and lemon. It builds focus and texture on the palate as it opens, with subtle hints of oak spice and crushed rock contributing to the delicious profile. Vineyard sites include the producer's estate Westside Farms, as well as Rochioli Allen."
95 points, Wine Enthusiast
Woolsey Road Vineyard Chardonnay
2019
"The 2019 Chardonnay Woolsey Road Vineyard has singular scents of warm peaches and burnt lemon with touches of meringue, beeswax, saline and flint. The medium-bodied palate is energetic and tense at this youthful stage, its satiny texture opposed by tangy freshness, and it finishes long and flinty. It will be long lived in bottle and will benefit from 3-5 more years under cork."
96 points, Wine Advocate