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The 2021 Chardonnay One Sixteen, matured for 14 months in 34% new French oak, takes some time to shake off its youthful crème brûlée and allspice tones to reveal apricot, beeswax and honeysuckle aromas. The medium-bodied palate offers powerful fruit and oak spice and satisfying freshness to lift the finish.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 91 RP

From a somewhat warmer site on thin, volcanic soils overlooking the Russian River, Eastside—originally a collaboration between Ulises Valdez and Mark Aubert—features a Montrachet selection planted on riparia rootstock. Despite plenty of new French oak in the élevage, there’s only a faintly fumé, crushed-stone character on the nose, which nicely sets off the wine’s white peach and lime notes. Full-bodied and generous but sturdily built, with an imposing structure, the 2021 Chardonnay Eastside is powerful and long on the finish. The crop was virtually wiped out by a spring frost in 2020, but the vines rebounded in 2021, yielding 1,400 cases.Robert Parker Wine Advocate | 95-97 RPThe 2021 Chardonnay Eastside Vineyard marries textural richness and vibrancy in grand style. There’s terrific energy here, the result of poor, stressed soils that naturally limit yields. Bright acids and veins of minerality drive this focused Chardonnay. Citrus, orchard fruit, ginger and light tropical accents build into the intensely saline finish. Superb.Vinous Media | 95-97 VMThis shows a seductive oily texture with pineapple, lime, lemon, cooked apple, and a little brioche. Some green mango. Lots of minerality. Full-bodied. Layered with amazing acidity. A very contrasting wine with richness and liveliness. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 97 JS

Layered, elegant, vivid and mineral-driven, this full-bodied wine paints a distinct picture of one of Sonoma County’s oldest, most iconic chardonnay vineyards. Stone, kiwi and crisp apple notes fill the aromas, while light accents of butter and vanilla bean highlight the vibrant green apple and lime flavors. It expands on the palate and echoes for minutes in the finish. This wine is known to age well, so drink or hold.James Suckling | 97 JSElegant and precise, this crisp expression offers plenty to admire -- apple, lemon zest and Sumo orange notes, plus an aromatic punch of yuzu, orange blossoms and sweet grass. A quiet toasted brioche detail lingers in the background, as does a savory thread of freshly grated ginger and toasted green tea hints. Drink now through 2032. 774 cases made.Wine Spectator | 95 WSThe 2021 Chardonnay Rochioli Vineyard is bright and focused, but also understated in feel. Sweet floral and citrus notes give the 2021 lovely aromatic presence to match the wine’s understated, mid-weight personality. Bright saline tones add energy and tension throughout. Lemon peel, white pepper and crushed rocks linger.Vinous Media | 93 VM

The 2021 Chardonnay Woolsey Road Vineyard is another dense, ample wine in this range. The Woolsey Road has a good deal of phenolic intensity. There’s real breadth and resonance here. Lemon confit, white pepper and dried herbs are nicely amplified.Vinous Media | 94 VMFragrant, focused and precise, offering flavors of lemongrass and lemon blossoms, with Meyer lemon and green papaya accents, plus a touch of tangerine. Shows green tea, lemon balm and white pepper notes on a mouthwatering frame, with a hint of salinity that lingers. Drink now. 787 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WSRichness and concentration are the hallmarks of this full-bodied, mouth-filling wine. Deep in Bosc pears, baked apples and baking spices, it offers a creamy texture balanced by moderate acidity. Drink now or hold.James Suckling | 93 JS

The Ritchie Vineyard would be a grand cru if Sonoma was Burgundy, and Ramey offers one of the best renditions of it. Gorgeous, vibrant fruit melds with a pronounced minerality. There are stony and spicy nuances on a great structure of racy acidity. No hurry to drink this wine; it will gain even more complexity and layers with time. Drink or hold.James Suckling | 96 JSThe 2021 Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard is fabulous. A Chardonnay of stature and textural finesse, the 2021 is super-expressive right out of the gate. There’s gorgeous oiliness and nuance here. Ritchie is one of the great sites in the Russian River Valley. Vibrant mineral notes play off the wine’s notable richness. This is a fine example.Vinous Media | 94 VMThere’s good energy to the lemon sherbet, pear, lime zest and pineapple flavors at the core of this sleek, vibrant white, offering notes of white flowers, dried ginger and vetiver, plus a mouthwatering thread of saline and lemongrass on the long, expansive finish. Drink now through 2033. 455 cases made.Wine Spectator | 94 WSDavid Ramey’s 2021 Chardonnay from the Ritchie Vineyard is made from some of the oldest chardonnay vines in California, as these were planted all the way back in 1972, with most of the vines being Wente clones. The wine is fermented with native yeasts and aged in twenty percent new oak for its twenty months of élevage, prior to bottling without filtration. The bouquet is deep, complex and classy, offering up scents of pear, golden delicious apple, hazelnut, complex minerality, gently musky floral tones, orange zest and a refined foundation of buttery oak. On the palate the wine is full-bodied, focused and complex, with superb depth at the core, lovely soil inflection, a bright girdle of acidity and a long, poised and beautifully balanced finish. This is outstanding chardonnay! (Drink between 2024 - 2040)John Gilman | 93+ JG