2017 MONTAGU RITCHIE VINEYARD CHARDONNAY

When a vineyard is capable of producing world-class grapes, it will attract some of the greatest winemakers in the world to put their stamp on it.  Kent Ritchie planted his vineyard in the early 1970’s… now fast-forward nearly 50 years, the Old Wente Clone vines now have gnarly trunks and produce tiny quantities of choice grapes.  Ritchie has an epic history of producing some of California’s most distinguished Chardonnays and it’s a site celebrated by powerhouses Aubert, DuMOL, Ramey, Patz & Hall, and the list goes on…

The Ritchie Vineyard is located nearly dead in the center of the iconic Russian River Valley, and the soils are pure sandy Goldridge loam, which originates from the bed of an inland sea.  It enjoys the cooling fog from the Pacific, and the grapes are able to achieve optimum ripeness and maintain brilliant acidity.  This gorgeous Chardonnay was created by Weston Eidson who gained valuable winemaking knowledge from mentors Jason Moore and Russell Bevan.