The 2022 Julien Fayard Ritchie Russian River Chardonnay is a wine of extraordinary pedigree and breathtaking Burgundian elegance — a single-vineyard Chardonnay from one of California's most legendary and coveted white wine sites, the Ritchie Vineyard in the Russian River Valley, vinified by Julien Fayard with the precision, restraint, and respect for terroir that defines his finest work. The Ritchie Vineyard, planted in 1972 and farmed with fanatical dedication to vine health and fruit quality, is considered by many to be California's greatest Chardonnay site: its old vines, Wente clone material, and the cooling influence of the Russian River's famous "Petaluma Gap" morning fogs produce Chardonnay of extraordinary concentration, mineral depth, and natural acidity that ages with the grace and complexity of a great white Burgundy. In Julien Fayard's hands, the 2022 vintage yields a Ritchie Chardonnay of stunning beauty: aromas of white peach, Meyer lemon, hazelnut, fresh brioche, oyster shell, and a precise, saline mineral thread of remarkable purity lead to a full-bodied, tensile palate of impeccable balance, creamy yet focused texture, and a finish of extraordinary, resonant length.