We had this wine with friends at dinner last night in NYC. I had read Parker's review of this wine and must agree with his description. I took no notes but my impressions below use a few terms from Parker's review.

The nose was powerful and complex with many different fruit aromas. On the palate, the wine was truly stunning. Parker's description of great minerality and lemon oil were perfect. I believe this is the best Chardonnay I've ever had other than a few Grand Cru Burgundies. It may be better in another year or so, but my 5 remaining bottles will not likely last that long. Parker gave it a 94. I give it a 97. If you can find this, grab it.

The '99 Hyde Vineyard Chard is one of my all-time chard favorites. I'll have to look for some.

"Parker gave it a 94. I give it a 97. If you can find this, grab it."

Good advice, and I agree with your notes. I snagged a few bottles of the '03 Ritchie and '03 Hyde late last summer. All were consumed by the end of the warm weather, they were drinking that well

I'm hoping that that first bottle we had last weekend was not a fluke. You know what I mean- I hope it wasn't the opporite of an off-bottle. The great concentration of viscous lemon oil flavors and tremendous minerality were in perfect balance with the acidity. I'm thinking I must open another one this weekend.

Board-0, this 'Ramey Hyde Vineyard'.... Is this from the Finger Lakes or Niagara Region?

Northern Manitoba, the next great Canadian wine region.

The day the Finger Lakes or Niagara produce a Chardonnay this fine will not occur in a year beginning with the digits 20.

Had this last night based on the high praise here. It's a fine Chard. Great balance, and not over-the-top. But, for me, I wouldn't say 97. I think Parker's score of 94 is right on the money. Some of the latest Peter Michael releases are better. Fantastic wine though, and happy I have 3 more!

Board-O------I have a bottle of 1975 Heitz Pinot Chardonnay. Do you think it is better than the Ramey?

The next day it will be.

Board-O

Your description of this wine is right on one of the best Cal. chard's I have ever had and esp. for a Cal. Chard. avaliable w/o a reserve mailing list.

bought 4 more after the first bottle; = to an excellent 1st Cru Burg.

Let's do a mini tasting in NY city this May?

Board-O & DRAB,
Thanks for the notes.
I’ve given up on ‘03 CA Chard., but your & Parker’s enthusiasm will prompt me to give some more a try.

Have either of you tried the ‘03 Hartford Seascape Chard?

Ck, let me know the dates. We may be away the weekend of the 20th.

GD, I haven't tried (or even bought) any of the '03 Hartfords so far.

Thanks for the notes. Ramey does a great job with his Chardonnays and should be tried if you want to see how good CA Chard can actually be. I really enjoyed his 01' & 02' RRV Chards which are little more focused and mineral driven with great acidity like Chablis. I'll see if I can find an 03' Hyde locally to try. M61

Just picked up three because of Board-O. Just call me a Lemming.

this is available at the Wine Club in Santa Clara. I'm going by today to pick up some Don Malchor. If anyone wants some Ramey email me at paul@hockeyguy.com and I'll pick some up for you.

We had this wine again last night. It was truly an outstanding Chardonnay, just lacking a bit of the spectacular brilliance of the previous bottle, maybe a bit of its viscosity also, but still truly wonderful. 95

Board-O,
I want my money back. I just ordered 3 of these at $50 a pop + shipping from CA and now you downgrade your score from a S97 to S95. I thought you said you should only post scores of wine at it’s best - and now you’ve downgraded it!

No, I said you shouldn't post reviews and scores of corked wine. neiher of these were corked. I'm sure you'll be pleased with yours. If not, be sure to let me know.

We had this wine again tonight and it was stunning, like the previous bottles. It had a beautiful nose of coconut and oak. On the palate, the wine was concentrated with crisp balancing acidity and a viscous lemon minerality. Outstanding. 96

Had an awesome btl of the 01' RRV Chard tonight. Brilliant Grn tinged light gold. Very precise with perfect balance of fruit, stones and acidity. Long finish. Oak well hidden. Amazing for $36 from the winery /$30 retail. This should go another 5yrs. 93pts Last of 4 btls I'm going to pick up some more. Chablis meets Puligny M61

I bought 8 bottles based on Board-O's reco. I have to agree that this is a 94-95 point wine, and at a price point well below Peter Michael, Kistler, Aubert, and Kongsgaard!!!

Can get 01 Hyde and Hudson - anyone have any notes?

Board-O, after reading your rave, made an appointment for a tasting at Ramey in Healdsburg. Kind of a warehouse office tasting, but 7 wines ( all 2003's ) were presented in good stemware with tasting notes from Parker, etc. I make it a point not to read others' notes/ reviews until I have written my own. All of their chardonnays are first rate, but I preferred the Ritchie Vineyard, especially for its longer finish. The star of the tasting, though, was the 2003 Jericho canyon Vineyard Cabernet. An absolute knockout.

Thanks for the tip. I've never had a Ramey Cab.