MARK AUBERT'S NOTES FROM THE MAILER - The 2005 Ritchie Vineyard Chardonnay with its overall high level of ripeness plus an acid backbone amazes us in so many ways. Telltale of the 2005 vintage you will experience the wonderful ripe and balanced chardonnay expression that is Ritchie. The final cuvee is vinified from 3 small blocks at Ritchie which we feel ar some of the finest soils and vine exposures at the vineyard. We have four different lots of Ritchie that are aged in 100% new French oak barrels for 11 months, and then carefully racked to tanks. We let all of our wines rest and clarify for another 3 months before bottling.

The 2005 growing season with its warm and cool summer days added even more intensity by thorougly retaining the natural acidity. During the harvesting of Ritchie we move quickly an ensure that the grapes are hand picked and moved to the winery in refrigerated trucks. That being siad, so much of the fruit characters were preserved and once again, the telltake 'Ritchie Vineyard' intensitiies - yellow hues and a green color on edge, definable tones of dried lemon and lime skins make up the aromatic profile of this wine. Wonderful uplifiting changes in aroma and bouquet give a true expression of this fabulous vintage that is 2005. The mouth feel is very rich and the natural acidity gives the wine stability for continued bottle aging.

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