Metzger Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard 2016

One of Sonoma’s all-time great chardonnay vineyards. This ‘16 from Metzker is an outrageously delicious wine at a STUPENDOUS price today. Huge no-brainer if you love complex, layered chard!! Under $50 if you buy 3 or more -- and free ground shipping on all orders!!

OK, you know the great Ritchie chards, right? AUBERT, RAMEY, PAUL HOBBS, BEVAN, and so many more uber-expensive, collectible and high-scoring bottlings. Metzker is a tiny family-run operation and we FLIPPED the moment we tasted this. Lovely, racy, hazel-nutty goodness for a fraction of the price of the aforementioned stars!

A few quotes on this vineyard/bottling from winemaker Melissa Castro: “There is a reason Ritchie Vineyard is known as a legendary site for Russian River Valley Chardonnay. Not only is the quality of the grapes fantastic, but the passion and personal touch Kent Ritchie gives to each block is wildly apparent the second you turn off of Eastside Road onto the gravel road of Ritchie Vineyard. The 40+-year-old Wente clone vines retain so much natural minerality and acidity that the wines are fresh and vibrant when aged in higher percentages of new French oak. The Chardonnay I make for Metzker Family Estates is a wine I like to call Old World meets New World Chardonnay. With the 60%-70% new French oak (depending on the vintage), I get notes of brioche, toast and hazelnut you often find in a true California, full malolactic fermented Chardonnay. But the finish on this wine is so reminiscent of a Chablis or Italian white with clean minerality, bright acidity and citrus notes. The wine does not fall short or leave a heavy presence in your mouth. I find that the Ritchie Chardonnay appeals to both the Chardonnay only fans as well as the consumers who claim they do not drink Chardonnay. I have seen plenty of people become Chardonnay fans after drinking a Ritchie Vineyard Chardonnay.”