We had the pleasure of sitting next to David Ramey at the Minneapolis wine dinner that Montrachet 61 arranged... it was a great event. When David poured this wine, I tasted it and immediately turned to him and said, "I suspect you are going to tell me that this vineyard is stuffed with rocks, and has very little dirt?" He replied, "Exactly, it's VERY rocky." ... and that shows.
This stuff was yummy, showey, attention-getting, etc. The wine is impressive, that's for sure. IF... and only IF... I were going to have one minor complaint (which, mind you, I'm not)... it would be that the wine IS the meal. When the Riedel "knife and fork" are introduced, this will be a good place to use them.
A curiousity for me is: What will it do over the long-haul. It's so luscious now that I wonder if it will go out of balance?... Or, will the fruit mellow a bit, then integrate? If the later, ten years from now this stuff will be truly special... but, IMO, there's a bit of a gamble on this ageability point. That said, David insists that it will age well.
Still, I very much agree with Cab Chris' notes; and it was great to meet David and get his input on this and his other wines. Clearly a great winemaker... and very kind in his willingness to share wino-techie knowledge... which perhaps I'll be able to put to use some day-- especially if I ever get around to building a Le Cadeau Chardonnay.
