History
Kent Ritchie left a career at 3M in Detroit, moved west and planted this vineyard in 1972. He appears to still own and operate it. The original planting used the Old Wente selection, along with See and Rudd material, grafted onto AxR rootstock, and it has become one of the reference sources for the older, lower-yielding style of California Chardonnay.
The Site
Eastside Road at Trenton-Healdsburg Road in Forestville, in the Middle Reach of the Russian River Valley, on Goldridge sandy loam.
Vines and Blocks
Chardonnay, in the heritage selections of the original 1972 planting. The Old Wente material sets unevenly and gives small berries and loose clusters, which is the whole point of keeping vines this old rather than replanting to modern clones.
The Wines
At least twenty-three wineries are documented as buying Ritchie fruit, among them DuMOL, Ramey, Gary Farrell, Arnot-Roberts and DeLoach. The common thread across their bottlings is texture and cut rather than weight.