Ramey Chardonnay Russian River Valley 2020

We press whole clusters for phenolic delicacy. Native-yeast and full native malolactic fermentation take place in barrel, with sur lies batonnage. After aging 12 months in 10% new French oak barrels (Taransaud Beaune, François Frares), the Chardonnay was traditionally fined for clarity during the following harvest and bottled without filtration in January 2022.
These are cool sites, with low vigor soil such as Goldridge Loam, planted between 1978 and 2013.  The vineyards are mostly planted to UC Davis Clone 4, known for its prominent acidity and large clusters, with lesser percentages of Wente and aromatic clones like Rued. The 2020 vintage is comprised of 45% Westside Farms, 20% Kilcullen, 10% Dutton Sebastopol, 10% Frank Johnson, 9% Rochioli Allen, and 6% Bucher.