Bruce Leboff

9.2

Classic Cali Chard - fresh white peach and hibiscus on the nose. Not too buttery oaky- nice clean and refreshing. — 18 days ago

with David and Warren

John Tan

9.0

Ovenbird w M and Ritchie. Mineral. Textured. Fresh. Paired well w ankimo.

The 2012 Condrieu Coteaux du Chery, which comes from one of the most heralded sites in the appellation, is also brilliant (as is his 2011!). The most rich and textured of the lineup, it offers thrilling notes of white peach, crushed rock, buttered grapefruit, flowers and tangerine to go with a medium to full-bodied, layered, yet brilliantly fresh and detailed texture that keeps you coming back to the glass. It too will drink nicely for 4-5 years. I had a fabulous visit with proprietor Andre Perret at his cellar located just north of Chavanay. Soft spoken, charming and generous, he runs an immaculate cellar and releases up to three Condrieus in a vintage. In addition to his whites, he fashions elegant, almost Burgundian-styled reds from Saint Joseph that warrant more attention. RP95 — 4 years ago

Shay A

9.3

WNH virtual tasting with Gary Farrell wines. 2015 Ritchie chard, 2014 Fort Ross Pinot and 2015 Rochioli Pinot were the library choices.

I’m between a 93 and 94 here. This caught me totally by surprise. Flexing an ABV of 13.7, it has so much balanced richness and never comes across as lean. In fact, with the whole cluster usage here, it’s not green/stemmy. Gorgeous translucent purple in the glass with big aromatics of juniper, sage, high toned red and black berries, and cedar. Nimble on the palate with some herbal notes, and a really pretty red/black fruit sweetness (like really ripe rhubarb mixed with blackberries). Has both nice acidity and some tannic bite. I’d argue this was possibly even better in day two. Beautiful wine. — 5 years ago

David L

9.6

17’ Château Boswell True Course Chardonnay. Sourced from the 1/3 of each Rued, Ritchie, & Sebastopol Vineyards in Sonoma County.
Melka with a home run Chardonnay!
Wow... this Chardonnay is playing in the deep end. Full- body to say the least. Pear, peach, honeycomb. Perfect amount of acidity/minerality from the center of the palate to the back. Top 10 bottles of California Chardonnay I’ve had this year.
Edit - Throw this into a decanter for a short period of time. — 6 years ago

Shay A

9.3

Attended a Parallel Wines private tasting last night. Very nice and classic in style. Didn’t realize how small their production is...less than 600 total cases. This is their 20th year and Melka has been with them from the beginning.

Starting to channel some butterscotch and creme brûlée notes. It’s rich without being overly oaked. Honey roasted almonds and even some marzipan. This is 100% Ritchie vineyard and while it doesn’t have classic Ritchie nuttiness, there is a hint of roasted marshmallows that I find common in other Ritchie Chards. — 7 years ago

Ericsson

9.3

Been a while since I last opened one these bad boys. Still young but great bottle. Tons of precision. — 8 months ago

George Yasutake

9.5

Not a Chardonnay kind of drinker, but this one is outstanding & drinking well! — 3 years ago

with Brian

Penny Meyer

9.6

Amazing wine — 5 years ago

web bond

9.1

Great example of non-contemporary, Sonoma County Chardonnay. — 5 years ago

Austin Blackwell

9.1

Nice green apple and floral aromas and a green apple and ginger palate. Vibrant acidity and a nice ginger nuance to the palate. — 6 years ago

with Angelina

Dan H

9.2

Big Cali without being silly — 6 years ago

David L

9.2

This Chardonnay should come with a warning label... “ look but don’t touch for for a year or more “ roasted almonds with a glazing of honey. Mid & back palate of moderate acidity. This would be sensational with a grilled salmon.  — 7 years ago

Shay A

9.3

One of the best Aubert pinots I’ve had. Everything working in seamless harmony. Gorgeous candied cranberries, fresh black cherries, herbal twang and freshly chopped cedar. Wonderful acidity with red plum, earth, kiss of maple, and baking spices. Very nice. Thanks @Dan Fitzgerald . — 7 years ago

with Dan, Mark and 1 other

Scott E. Becker

9.5

[Tasted on September 29, 2023 at Nashville Wine Auction Harvest Party with Ned and Beth]

Purchased wine during September 2022 visit to the winery. Fruit is sourced from Ritchie Vineyard in Russian River Valley. Citrus, apple, chamomile and nutmeg on the nose. Melon, stone fruit, chalky minerality and saline notes on the palate. Creamy and rich mouthfeel with a beautiful finish. — 3 years ago

Eric

9.3

Screaming oak. I love it. Mouth watering. Ritchie is one of my favorite Chardonnay vineyards. A heady style. — 4 years ago

Randy Fuller

9.7

This wine is lightly tinted yellow-gold in the glass. Its nose offers sweet stone fruit, tropical notes, citrus and a very faint grassy or herbal sense. The oak shows rather strongly on the palate, with a razor-sharp acidity, and both those elements seem to play off of one another. Pineapple candy comes back on the finish. This is an expensive Sauvignon Blanc, but it has a lot to offer. — 5 years ago

Somm David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

The Ritchie is one of the more pleasurable Napa/Sonoma Chardonnay’s I’ve had. The fruit is very good and made by Winemaker-Jean Hoefliger...who has a French background & goes easy on the new oak.

The body is thick and round with nice viscosity. Green apple, lemon, lime candy, overripe pineapple, just a touch of buttered popcorn, caramel, soft wood notes and backbone, butterscotch, delicate chalkiness, limestone & volcanics with yellow lilies, spring flowers and mixed greens. Full round acidity. Beautifully polished, elegant & s well balanced finish that persists nicely.

Photos of; the entrance to AXR’s main tasting room at the rear of the property, their guest house that in the days of prohibition was a Brothel, a sitting area under the Redwoods that overlooks their Estate vines & the AXR house that fronts the property. — 6 years ago

Shay A

9.3

It was my first time trying Moone-Tsai wines aside from their widely distributed Napa Valley Cab, so some of these were totally brand new to me. Melka is the winemaker.

Anytime I see Ritchie vineyard, I perk up. I really enjoy the fruit coming from that vineyard and this was no different. Bright and gold in the glass showing aromatics of banana bread pudding, powdered lemon bar, and honeyed tropical fruits. Vibrant acidity at this age with some classical Ritchie nuttiness alongside lemon cream and honeysuckle. Really good. — 6 years ago

Shay A

9.5

Lots of fun bottles were popped at Al’s hosting this past weekend for his birthday celebration. All were served blind. 1 sparkler, 2 whites, 6 reds and 1 dessert wine.

This was en mag. WOW. Slightly cloudy in the glass. My first guess when looking at it was Marcassin, but it wasn’t waxy enough on the palate. Smelled of rich lemon cream, powdered lemon bars and juicy fruit (that should always be my key to guessing PM). A powerhouse on the palate with juicy tropical fruits, marshmallow, and sweet marzipan. Gorgeous stuff. I called this 2012 Aubert Ritchie. — 7 years ago

with joe, Dan and 2 others

Joshua Fisher

9.4

new by the glass at the restaurant — 7 years ago