08 Nov Please The Palate Wine of the Week: Gary Farrell 2019 Ritchie Vineyard Chardonnay, Russian River Valley, Sonoma County

The beauty of Chardonnay is how expressive it can be. It is a grape that expresses both where it is grown, as well as the style of the winemaker. The Gary Farrell 2019 Ritchie Vineyard Chardonnay from the Russian River Valley in Sonoma County, the Please The Palate wine of the week, is a wine of elegance, purity, and balance and is a beautiful wine with food.

About Gary Farrell Winery

Gary Farrell Winery specializes in single vineyard Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Gary Farrell started the winery in 1982 and today the winery is owned by Bill Price, the managing partner of Kistler Vineyard and owner of Three Sticks, Lutum, and the Durell and Gap’s Crown vineyards, and a group of investors. Winemaker Theresa Heredia joined Gary Farrell Winery in 2012 and focuses on making site-specific wines from top vineyard sites all over California. Theresa makes 12 to 14 Pinot Noirs, as well as many as seven Chardonnays and small amounts of Sauvignon Blanc and Zinfandel each year. Chardonnays are made from noted vineyards including Ritchie Vineyard, Rochioli Vineyard, Rochioli-Allen Vineyards, Bacigalupi Vineyard, Westside Farms Vineyard, and Martaella Vineyard, all in the Russian River Valley, as well as the Durell Vineyard in Sonoma Valley and the La Riconada Vineyard in the Sta. Rita Hills.

Tasting Notes

The Gary Farrell 2019 Ritchie Vineyard Chardonnay is a wine of elegance and balance. It has notes of lemon, honeysuckle, pear, and nectarine, with a hint of flintiness. On the palate, the wine is concentrated with a creamy mid-palate and finishes with a pop of fresh, vibrant acidity.

Food Pairing

With a rich texture and fresh finish, this wine was a perfect match with butternut squash ravioli with a brown butter sage sauce. The wine not only matched the richness of the ravioli but also cut through the butter.

Where To Purchase

The Gary Farrell 2019 Ritchie Vineyard Chardonnay, Sonoma County retails for $65 and is available directly from the Gary Farrell website.

Meet The Winemaker

Get to know Theresa Heredia in 30 questions on the Wine Soundtrack USA podcast.

Videos To Watch

Check out the Ravioli and Wine Pairings – Crush On This Episode 140 in which we paired egg dishes with wine.