Last call on the back-to-back vertical. The 2022 reached #10 in the world — and we may be the last to have both.

Dear Wine Lover,

The insiders are never the ones paying retail at dinner. They're the ones who quietly secured the wine months earlier — at the source, by the case, before the market caught on. Today, that move is Ramey — and this is the final window.

The man Wine Spectator nicknamed "Professor Chardonnay" placed the exact same Russian River Valley Chardonnay in the Top 100 two years running — and the 2022 climbed to #10 in the world. Back-to-back placements for one regional bottling are genuinely rare, and that's precisely why the estate is now bone dry.

Artisan.Wine is holding one of the last allocations of both vintages anywhere — $44.99 per bottle, both vintages, while they last. Once a complete back-to-back vertical like this is gone, it cannot be reassembled at this price — not next month, not ever.

Fresh out of UC Davis, David Ramey worked a harvest at the legendary Château Pétrus in Pomerol under the Moueix family, later becoming winemaker at their Napa estate, Dominus, before founding Ramey in 1996. Three Old World techniques — the ones mega-wineries skip to save money — are why this bottle punches so far above its price:

Wine Spectator has published its Top 100 every year since 1988, scored from more than 10,000 wines tasted annually and judged on quality, value, availability and the story behind the bottle. To even qualify, a wine must score 90+; the list averages around 93 points. Its influence is real — wines that land prominent spots tend to sell through quickly in the months after, often at rising prices. A regional Chardonnay appearing twice in a row is exactly the kind of pedigree that turns a bottle from a purchase into a holding.

And fine wine has long earned its place beside the trophies of the wealthy. Per Knight Frank's Luxury Investment Index, over the decade to the end of 2023 fine wine returned roughly 146% — ranking second only to rare whisky, and ahead of art, jewelry and classic cars over that horizon:

*Knight Frank Luxury Investment Index / Wealth Report, 10 years to end-2023; figures approximate and rounded. Like all collectibles, wine moves in cycles — the index cooled in 2024 — and this is context on the category, not investment advice. A ~$50 Chardonnay is first and foremost a wine to enjoy.

This wine retails near $50 and drinks like a three-figure cult Chardonnay — which is why you'll find Ramey on the kind of celebrated lists you'd see at rooms like The French Laundry, Spago, or Gary Danko. On a serious restaurant list, wine carries a standard 2.5–4x markup, so a bottle of this caliber lands around $125–$200 before tax and tip.

*Illustrative only, based on standard restaurant markups of 2.5–4x on a ~$50 bottle. Restaurants named as examples of the caliber of list; actual prices and availability vary by venue and vintage.

Is Ramey Chardonnay a heavy, oaky butter-bomb?

No. It has gorgeous richness — pastry crust, lemon curd, ripe yellow apple — but Ramey's Bordeaux training means acid structure leads. The finish is bright, racy and laced with sea-salt minerality, the opposite of flabby California Chardonnay.

How long will it last in my cellar?

Built for the long haul. Where most California whites fade in two or three years, the structural tension and whole-cluster pressing here mean both the 2021 and 2022 will comfortably evolve 8–10 years in a cool cellar — Wine Spectator rates the 2022 to drink through 2036 — gaining brioche, toasted marzipan and warm honey.

What food does it pair with?

Scallops and shellfish, roast chicken, triple-cream and aged cheeses, or a chanterelle risotto for a vegan table — see the pairings above.

Why buy both vintages instead of just one bottle?

Because a back-to-back Top 100 vertical is the rare part. Owning both lets you taste them side by side, open one at every summer occasion, and cellar the rest toward 2036. With the estate sold out and this being our final call at $44.99 per bottle, this is your last chance to lock in the pair at this price.

One flat price on both vintages while supplies last. Once they're gone, they're gone.

The estate is dry, and we're holding one of the last complete back-to-back verticals anywhere — both vintages at $44.99 per bottle, last call. Be the insider who secured it — not the one who heard about it after it sold out.