Metzker Family Estates, Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard, 2018

93 POINTS and criminally creamy and buttery. When a parcel of METZKER FAMILY ESTATES CHARDONNAY RITCHIE VINEYARD 2018 came our way, we cleared the shelves before anyone else got a look in. Ritchie Vineyard is Russian River Valley royalty, and this vintage is the proof. ​ Full malolactic fermentation and careful French oak ageing have produced a Chardonnay of extraordinary richness. The 2018 growing season was long and even across Sonoma, and Metzker coaxed every ounce of that ripe, creamy fruit into the bottle. This is white Burgundy's Californian cousin — polished, precise, and rather magnificent. ​ Pale gold and luminous. White peach, toasted brioche, and lemon curd on the nose, then a palate that is lusciously creamy and buttery, layered with roasted hazelnut and crème brûlée. The finish is long, mineral, and quietly brilliant. You saw the 93 POINTS part, right?