Ram's Gate Winery Caneros Chardonnay 2015
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Enthusiast
Wine -
Parker
Robert
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
This wine has a feral aspect to it—a mix of wild mushroom and gritty stone, with the grit and grip persistent on the palate. Asian pear, apple and nutmeg highlight a full-bodied concentration nuanced in toasted oak.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2015 Chardonnay Carneros gives up very pretty scents of peach blossoms and honeysuckle over a core of green guava, pink grapefruit and almond croissant plus a touch of nutmeg. Medium to full-bodied, it fills the palate with stone fruit and tropical flavors with plenty of toasty accents and a refreshing finish. 1,500 cases produced.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
Known for elegant wines that combine power and finesse, Carneros is set in the rolling hills that straddle the southernmost parts of both Sonoma and Napa counties. The cooling winds from the abutting San Pablo Bay, combined with lots of midday California sunshine, create an ideal environment for producing wines with a perfect balance of crisp acidity and well-ripened fruit.
This cooler pocket of California lends itself to growing Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah. Carneros is an important source of sparkling wines made in the style of Champagne as well.