Ramey Chardonnay

7

 0 0 0 3

$30 of Not-Much-to-Write-Home-About

Russian River Valley

2008

Chardonnay

Healdsburg Ca

14.5%

$30 Curious Grape

WS 90 Points

Frank said, “Oh my god, this is a total Vanilla bomb!” Well, he meant it in a good way.  We drank this with grilled pork loin cutlets (yeeesh!) and boil-in-a-bag channa masala with a green salad. I’m not so sure that this shouldn’t have gone together.

On it’s own, the Chard drank fine, but didn’t blow my mind. As we prepared dinner, I was nibbling on Gruyère, figuring that that’s my go-to Chard/white wine appetizer cheese.  But for whatever reason, it didn’t really grab me, shake me up. For $30, I think it really should and for the way Wine Spectator raves about Ramey in virtually every review I’ve read of theirs, I just expected something that would stick to the memory.

I noticed how more and more these high-end Chards are lacking something for me.  Particularly as the vintners are experimenting with getting away from the buttery, “oakey” qualities they’ve been accused of for so long. I don’t really know how buttery and oakey is a bad thing per se, but I suppose some of them became too woody, and maybe that is the “ding” against them.

Ramey Label

This Chard is long on the astrigency and is spritely enough in the acid arena, but left me less than charmed. SPECTATOR says, “Pure, ripe and vibrant, with spicy pear, melon, citrus and green apple notes that are fresh and lively, ending with zesty acidity.”

The words pear, melon, citrus, and apple never crossed our lips. And how Frank and I were drinking a vanilla bomb, I’ll never know, so there goes your proof.

Wine analysis should probably be left to the professionals–yawn. But for me, gimme an affordable “grab me” white as we head into the late Spring. The time for sitting on the stoop this spring is calling, and Ramey hung up on me.

Ramey and My Homemade Croutons

- See more at: http://www.alunchboxblog.com/ramey-friday-wine-day/?preview=true&preview_id=3486&preview_nonce=f88c52678a#sthash.TcVPD8rT.dpuf