A Risky Little Experiment
One sunny afternoon in March, as we wandered around Boston looking for the restaurant Grill 23, we discussed the controversial issue of Chardonnay.
There are diehard fans of Chardonnay out there who ONLY drink Chardonnay, as well as ABCs (anything BUT Chardonnay folks). Serious wine professionals usually enjoy Chardonnay IF it's in the form of white Burgundy (which is always 100% Chardonnay) but disdain New World versions without hefty price tags.
The real issue with Chardonnay is this. It's a rather unobtrusive, nondescript little grape. One can envision a similarity with a lump of clay in the hands of a sculptor. Or perhaps more accurately, one can imagine Chardonnay to be a boozy floozy. It can be manipulated into doing absolutely anything you want. Its destiny is always under the complete control of the winemaker.
There's a wide range of styles as well, which reflect the tools of the winemaker. Chardonnay varies from steely, crisp and minerally all the way to the other end of the spectrum – ripe, fat and unctuous.
As for your favorite wine geeks, we rarely drink Chardonnay at home. Well, except for white Burgundy with lobster and shellfish (cliché alert). We do make one exception though. We will always make time for the big, beautiful wines of David Ramey.
Which brings us back to Boston. It was at Grill 23 we first met David. He was conducting a small comparative seminar on Chardonnay, blind tasting his wines against other famous California Chardonnays of similar price and stature.
We thought the experiment was a little risky. After all, the room had ten tables filled with the professional palates of buyers from the most important restaurants and retailers in Massachusetts AND his wines were being blind tasted in a competitive setting. Can you imagine the level of confidence?
There's an intensity about David Ramey which is difficult to communicate, given his very gentle and kind nature. This intensity must have been born in his years as winemaker for some of the most important wineries in France and California.
David started his journey with Jean-Pierre Moueix in Pomerol. In case his name doesn't sound familiar, you may have heard of his wine. It's called Petrus from Bordeaux, and it's considered to be one of the world's greatest all-time wines. From there he went to Simi and Matanzas Creek before graduating to the prestigious leagues of Chalk Hill, Dominus and Rudd. Finally, in 1996 he started making his own wines under his own name.
My goodness, we forgot to reveal the results of the blind tasting. Spoiler alert. It was a tense hour, but David's wines dominated the room. He was like Goliath slaying some of the most important Chardonnay's in California with gentle wit and humor.
One of the most remarkable and eye-opening moments of the seminar was when David produced the detailed technical data sheets for the wines in the comparative tasting. We're certainly not newbies when it comes to wine tech sheets. We require them before we'll even bring a wine into our store. We analyze them every single day as part of our evaluation process.
Yet, never, ever have we sat down and cross-examined the levels of malate, pH, residual sugar and turbidity NTUs in wine. Not even in our many years of professional wine certification. It was like being in college chemistry class with a wine wizard teaching the class. This thorough process was fascinating and surprising. We even started to look at wine in a new way, through the genius eyes of David Ramey.
By the way, did we mention David makes some of the most highly coveted reds in all of California? And we still have some from the remarkable 2007 vintage. Snap them up while you can, before the next vintage arrives!
David Ramey Russian River Chardonnay 2008
"Pure, ripe and vibrant, with spicy pear, melon, citrus and green apple notes that are fresh and lively, ending with zesty acidity. Drink now through 2015. 9,200 cases made." (Wine Spectator)
Wine Spectator: 90 points
"Precise, mineral-driven aromas of pear, spicecake, iodine and wet concrete, along with a sexy floral aspect. At once tactile and fine-grained, with subtle smokiness giving depth to the flavors of Meyer lemon, minerals and candied ginger. Tightens up toward the back, finishing quite suave, with strong lift and cut to its ginger-laced orchard fruit flavors." (International Wine Cellar)
International Wine Cellar: 91 points
“The 2008 Chardonnay Russian River has more to it, including aromas of buttered citrus and crushed rock, good acidity and a fresh, medium to full-bodied, elegant style.” (Robert Parker, Wine Advocate)
Wine Advocate: 89 points
$39.99/bottle or just $31.99/bottle in a mixed case of wine.
David Ramey Claret 2007
"Bordeaux-like in its subtlety and restraint, yet rich, flavorful, full-bodied and expansive, with a mix of cedar, currant, cigar box, tar and mineral. Firm and focused, its elegance and refinement are impressive." (Wine Spectator)
Wine Spectator: 93 points
"Ramey’s easiest to drink and appreciate wine, is a seductive blend of primarily Cabernet Sauvignon with some Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Malbec. Its dense ruby/purple hue is followed by a velvety textured, plush, round, generous wine with lots of texture and fruit. This high quality effort should be drunk over the next decade." (Wine Advocate)
Wine Advocate: 91 points
“Aromas of blackcurrant, cherry, herbs and tobacco, complicated by a subtle smoky quality. Sweet, smooth and fairly full on the palate, showing ripe red- and blackcurrant and bitter cherry flavors. Elegant in a Bordeaux style, with chewy tannins and good mineral lift. Finishes with a strong echo of red fruits and a suave floral note. This wine saw no new oak.” (Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar)
International Wine Cellar: 91 points
$39.99/bottle or just $31.99/bottle in a mixed case of wine.
David Ramey Cabernet Sauvignon 2007
"A stunning yet reasonably priced, high end Napa Cabernet Sauvignon is the 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon Napa. The final bottling from the extraordinary Larkmead Vineyard, it boasts a dense purple color as well as a big, sweet bouquet of blueberry and black currant fruit intertwined with licorice, bay leaf, cedar and fruitcake notes. Full-bodied and opulent, this precocious 2007 is drinkable now and should evolve for another 15+ years." (Wine Advocate)
Wine Advocate: 92 points
“Intensely perfumed bouquet of red- and blackcurrant, dark chocolate and anise, with mounting spiciness. More open-knit and accessible than last year's tasting suggested it would be, offering sweet dark fruit and cherry flavors and building tannins.
The fruit takes over on the finish, which echoes the spice and cherry notes. This has turned out better than I expected, perhaps because all of the Larkmead fruit went into this wine in this vintage.” (Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar)
International Wine Cellar: 92 points
“Taut, dry and earthy, with cedar, herb, forest floor, dried currant and blackberry flavors that are full-bodied, spicy and expansive, slow to unfold but rewarding. Ends with chewy tannins. Drink now through 2018. 7,800 cases made.” (Wine Spectator)
Wine Spectator: 91 points
$54.99/bottle or just $43.99/bottle in a mixed case of wine.
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