Ramey Wine Cellars house spotlight
David Ramey is on camera on the official Ramey Wine Cellars channel. He is the winemaker behind this Woolsey Road Vineyard Chardonnay.
2022 Ramey Woolsey Road Vineyard Chardonnay Russian River Valley, USA
David Ramey's Martinelli Woolsey Road Chardonnay, Jeb Dunnuck 98, a 2022 you can open at sixty-eight dollars.
The 2022 Woolsey Road is 100 percent Chardonnay from a 3-acre Martinelli plot planted 2007 to Old Wente: fresh peach, honey, orange blossom, creme brulee, and matchstick after 20 months in 20 percent new French oak, now $68.
Hyde cuttings, Martinelli farming, Ramey's cellar
Woolsey Road sits south of the Martinelli winery on Huichica clay loam, planted in 2007 to Old Wente cuttings from vines Ramey first put in at Platt. Third- and fourth-generation Martinellis farm it. Picked August 17, before the Labor Day heat. Whole-cluster press, native yeast, full native malolactic, 20 months in 20 percent new French oak, unfiltered. Jeb Dunnuck 98. Decanter 96. Wine Advocate 96. 479 cases.
The site
A 3-acre northeast slope on 420A, cane-pruned, Huichica clay over clay. Tiny berries, tension, oyster-shell minerality.
The wine
100% Chardonnay. Whole-cluster press, native yeast and malolactic, 20 months, 20% new French oak. Unfiltered. 13.5% ABV.
The scores
Jeb Dunnuck 98. Decanter 96. Wine Advocate 96. James Suckling 95. Wine Spectator 95.
The drinker
Serve 48 to 52 F. No long decant. Lobster risotto or lemon-thyme roast chicken.
Peach and honey, then oyster shell and matchstick
Jeb Dunnuck found fresh peach, floral perfume, preserved citrus, spice, and smoky stones, taut and long. Decanter heard lemon, lime, grapefruit zest, and oyster shell. Wine Advocate added honey, orange blossom, creme brulee, and matchstick on a mouth-coating close. Wine Spectator: hard lemon candy, ginger tea, grilled peach, salted melon.
A third drought year. Fruit was picked August 17 at cool-climate tension, before the Labor Day heat wave. Chardonnay yields were low for a third consecutive year. That is why 479 cases matter.
Fresh peach, lemon, lime, grapefruit zest, honey, orange blossom, grilled peach.
Taut, energetic, native malolactic, 20 months in 20% new French oak, saline acidity.
Oyster shell, matchstick, long. Serve 48 to 52 F. No decant.
Whole-cluster press, native ferments, oak in proportion
David Ramey presses whole clusters for phenolic delicacy. Native yeast and full native malolactic run in barrel with sur lie batonnage. The 2022 aged 20 months in 20 percent new Francois Freres and Taransaud barrels, was fined for clarity, and bottled without filtration. Twenty percent new oak is enough for creme brulee without burying Woolsey Road citrus and oyster shell.
The Martinellis farm a cool, low-vigor slope. Ramey bottles it as a vineyard wine, not a house blend.
Serve 48 to 52 F in a generous glass. Let it warm a few minutes so honey and matchstick join the peach.
A Martinelli plot planted to Ramey's brief
David and Carla Ramey founded the winery in 1996. Woolsey Road is a grower site built to his specs.
Wine Spectator called David Ramey the Professor of Chardonnay. Whole-cluster pressing, oxidized juice, sur lie aging, native yeast, bottling without filtration: that is his California brief.
Woolsey Road was planted in 2007 with Old Wente from Platt, farmed by the Martinelli family south of their winery.
Claire and Alan Ramey are now co-presidents. The 2022 is still David's cellar in the glass.
Rich enough for lobster, bright enough for roast chicken
Citrus, cream, and saline acidity partner with buttered seafood and herb-roasted poultry.
Two plates. One butter lobster risotto. One lemon-thyme roast chicken.
Serve 48 to 52 F. No decant. Let the glass warm slightly so honey and nutmeg join the citrus.
Butter Lobster Risotto
Butter-poached lobster and creamy corn risotto lean into the luxurious side of this Chardonnay.
Why it works: Lobster and risotto match the texture. Lemon and butter echo peach, citrus, and creme brulee.
View Recipe for Butter Lobster Risotto (opens in a new tab)
Roast Chicken with Lemon and Thyme
Herb-roasted chicken gives the wine enough richness while lemon stays in the same key.
Why it works: Lemon and thyme echo citrus and florals. Acidity refreshes after each rich bite.
View Recipe for Roast Chicken with Lemon and Thyme (opens in a new tab)Put Woolsey Road Chardonnay in the cart
David Ramey, Martinelli fruit, Jeb Dunnuck 98, 479 cases. Sixty-eight dollars.
Put it in the cart. This is the Ramey white from a 3-acre Woolsey Road plot you can actually open.
