Ramey Wine Cellars 2005 Chardonnay Hudson Vineyard Carneros May, 2008 95 Buyers 35 cases in 4 days

Why We Chose It When you've been making cutting edge Chardonnay in California for as long as David Ramey has, you can afford to be picky. We first became acquainted with David's work at Matanzas Creek and then Chalk Hill in the 1990s. Ramey, almost single-handedly, reinvented those brands, producing Chardonnay that consistently ranked among the best in California. So, when Ramey created his own winery in 1996, his knowledge of the Chardonnay plantings of northern California was unparalleled. He knew exactly which vineyards, and which blocks in each vineyard, he wanted. When he approached the vineyard owners, they welcomed him with open arms. Super-growers like Larry Hyde and Lee Hudson both understood that having their vineyard name on Ramey's bottles was the best advertisement money could buy. The secret to Ramey's winemaking genius is an insatiable intellectual search for wines that somehow elegantly bridge the gap between California lushness and Burgundian minerality and structure. That search led Ramey to three extraordinary vineyards from which to hone magnificent barrel-fermented Chardonnays; the most powerful and masculine of these is made from single parcels or 'blocks' on Lee Hudson's meticulously maintained ranch on the rolling hills of Carneros. Ramey draws most of the grapes for the Hudson bottling form the "B" Block, a special spot that Hudson reserves for his star-studded clientele -- David Ramey, John Kongsgaard and Steve Kistler. Ramey makes his Chardonnay in much the same style as Meursault legends Dominique Lafon and Jean-Francois Coche (Coche-Dury). Only natural yeast is employed during fermentation, and as grapes are carefully sorted both in the vineyard and the cellar, the lees are clean, allowing Ramey to extend barrel fermentation to 18 months. Stirring, or batonnage, is conducted regularly, enhancing texture and flavor intensity. The wine is then bottled unfined and unfiltered. This is liquid Carneros gold. The 2005 Ramey Hudson Vineyard has the opulent, mineral nose of a fine ripe vintage of Puligny, packed with orange zest nuttiness. On the palate, Hudson Vineyard shines through with all of its muscle and power. Rated 94 points by Robert Parker in December 2007's The Wine Advocate, this is Parker's highest rated Ramey Hudson Vineyard bottling ever. This offer, shipped directly from the winery, will be done so only by AIR so as to ensure perfect provenance. Available only to our best customers, WineAccess is subsidizing shipping costs; buyers will pay just $5/bottle for 2-Day air shipment. Just 50 cases available. Please limit purchases to 6 bottles per customer. Tasting Notes 2005 Ramey Chardonnay Hudson Vineyard Carneros "Offering copious amounts of orange marmalade, smoky hazelnuts, and tropical fruits, the full-bodied, rich 2005 Chardonnay Hudson Vineyard is on a faster evolutionary track than the Hyde Vineyard. Drink the Hudson cuvee over the next 2-3 years." 94 points--The Wine Advocate "Ramey's Hudson Vineyard bottling wins top honors among the winery's three new single-site offerings by virtue of its perfect marriage of richness, refinement and balance. It leads with lots of optimally ripened appley fruit while showing a good bit of sweet oak and top-notes of flowers and spice. Always intense, yet never out of control, it is at once both rich and extracted yet also light on its feet. It delivers plenty to like now, but it has the kind of structure and depth that guarantee even better things to come a few years hence." 95 points--Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wines

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