2007 Ramey "Hyde Vineyard" Chardonnay

Located in gently rolling terrain north of Carneros Highway, the soils are quite heavy clay. Vine selection is old Wente, Robert Young and Long Vineyards – each a Wente selection themselves – ranging in age from 9 to 28 years old. The Wente is marked by very small grape clusters, with small berries, and the so-called “hen-and-chick” -- large and small berries within the same cluster. The Wente produces a classic, Burgundian-style wine without the tropical fruit tones of some California Chardonnays. The Long Vineyards selection adds a floral note, and the Hyde Vineyard wines often seem charming and feminine. High natural acidity plays a prominent role.

 

94 Robert M. Parker Jr.’s The Wine Advocate, February 2010
The single vineyard Chardonnays are all superb. The brilliant 2007 Chardonnay Hyde Vineyard reveals lots of nectarine, honeysuckle, orange blossom, and citrus oil notes intertwined with good acidity, considerable minerality, and a full-bodied, fresh finish with no evidence of wood.