Patria, Chardonnay, Kent Ritchie Vineyard, Russian River Valley, 2020

Overview of the Wine
Friends for over 15 years, Tony and Kim first met through their work with Plumpjack Winery. While they disagreed about hair metal (Tony yay, Kim nay), they found immediate kinship in each others’ intellect, instinct and razor-recall palates. Close

Once a youngster who menteed under such luminaries as Duckhorn’s Tom Rinaldi, Dan Duckhorn and Alex Ryan, Tony Biagi is now a bonafide veteran winemaker. In addition to Patria, he is the winemaker for Hourglass Winery and Amici Cellars, and serves as consulting winemaker for Clos du Val (Napa), Lasseter (Sonoma), and Jada Estate (Paso Robles). Prior to beginning his consulting work, Tony was the winemaker at Plumpjack (2003-2011) and founding winemaker of CADE, Sinegal Estate, and Neal Family Vineyards.

While Tony’s career may have forged a straight line, Kimberly Jones’s has been far more circuitous - but no less accomplished. From Manhattan’s red-hot restaurant scene of the 80s, to the New York and Hollywood film industry, it was on a lark - and in need of a life change - that Kim found herself venturing into wine sales in Los Angeles in the 90s. Having befriended Lori Griffin on a hike, she helped grow his brokerage Griffin Wine Marketing to represent many of that era’s groundbreaking new wineries. Having become a veritable queen of the cults, in 2003 Kimberly launched Kimberly Jones Selections to help usher in and foster the next generation of small artisan brands. KJS now distributes both domestically and internationally, representing over 60 California wineries and over 30 producers from Europe and South America. We suspect Kimberly may be superhuman.

Natural and Organic.

Grape / Blend
Chardonnay

Origin
Napa Valley, California

Winemaker's Tasting Notes
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.

92 points - Wine Spectator
Complex and dense, showing tahini, lemon sherbet, tangerine and mango notes on a rich frame, with details of spice, mineral and pickled ginger on the mouthwatering finish. Drink now through 2028.

Product size: 750ml