Fodor's Expert Review Ramey Wine Cellars

Anointed by Wine Spectator a "legend of California Chardonnay," David Ramey has been making acclaimed, ageworthy wines for four-plus decades. Collectors and wine lovers appear daily at his spick-and-span industrial space, where hosts convey the passion, artistry, and deep knowledge of wine-making chemistry underlying his output. The seated sessions (book well ahead in summer) begin with a few Chardonnays, followed by equally accomplished reds. Cabernet Sauvignon receives the most accolades of the latter, but Ramey also does well by Pinot Noir and has a soft spot for Syrah. Scrupulously farmed Napa and Sonoma sources supply the grapes for most of the wines, the exception being a Chardonnay from Westside Farms, the estate Russian River Valley vineyard. Ramey's children own and run his operation now—he chuckles that he's become their employee—and a longtime associate handles the day-to-day wine making, but the vision remains emphatically his.