Patria Ritchie Vineyard Chardonnay Russian River Valley 2020

Tony Biagi’s Patria Chardonnay has been a blockbuster hit here at ACME since it’s debut three years ago. As many of you have become fans of this wine, you’ll be delighted to know that he has added a new Chardonnay to his line-up. Sourced from one of California’s most esteemed Chardonnay sites – the Ritchie Vineyard -  it is everything you’d expect from this industry vet!

Kent Ritchie is one of North America’s most admired winegrowers, yet his background would never suggest such a remarkable accomplishment. Kent moved from Detroit, Michigan to California while working for the 3M Company and decided to plant a vineyard. He learned viticulture on his own and established the Ritchie Vineyard at 6150 Eastside Road in Forestville in 1972 using Old Wente, See and Rudd selections of Chardonnay on AXR rootstock. Kent chose a northwest-facing hillside in the heart of the Russian River Valley, located on a bench at the intersection of the Russian River, the Santa Rosa Plain and the Laguna de Santa Rosa, each of which influences the vineyard’s terroir. The site is exposed to the cooling effects of coastal fog that burns off in the late morning, and benefits from the well-drained sandy Goldridge soil speckled with gravel. Additional plantings of Wente selection were added in 2004, and today Ritchie Vineyard consists of nearly 70 acres of Chardonnay! It’s no wonder that industry standouts like DuMol, Amici and Aubert are drawn to the vineyard.

“Right away its crystal clear that this is the more forward of the two Chardonnays. Explosive aromas of roasted hazelnut, apple pie filling, orange blossom and lemon oil are followed on the palate with expansive flavors of roasted apple, pineapple husk, lime zest and marzipan. Of the two I would crack into the Ritchie first to enjoy its youthful precociousness.”  – Tony Biagi, winemaker notes