RAEN Lady Marjorie Chardonnay 2023
(Sonoma Coast, California) - [JS 99] [JD 95] [DM 94]

About the Winery:
RAEN Winery was founded in 2013 by Carlo & Dante Mondavi, the two sons of Tim Mondavi. After working with their father in building Continuum, they decided to go off on their own and venture out to the West Sonoma Coast to make cool climate Pinot Noir that can stand on its own on the world stage.

About the Vineyard:
Born from the remote, rugged landscape of the Sonoma Coast, our Lady Marjorie Chardonnay hails from the rocky soils of Fort-Ross Seaview, resulting in a wine of incredible depth and vibrancy.

About the Wine:
This bottling is dedicated to our grandmother Marjorie, who will always be a bright light of inspiration for us. An incredible woman, her hard work and steadfast determination led us to where we are today.

Tasting Notes:
White peach, crunchy nectarine, crushed wet gravel and white spring flowers jump from the glass. On the palate, these aromas are spliced with zesty lime blossom, stone fruits and fresh apricot, which integrates seamlessly with a backbone of mineral-laced acidity and subtle notes of salinity that all lead to a long, bright finish.

Ratings & Reviews:

99 Points - James Suckling:
A light-bodied yet oh-so-full-flavored wine that opens with stony, floral aromas that lead to fresh and ripe fruit flavors backed by racy acidity. A great creamy texture but vivid in acid, minerals and chalk that lift the pear, citrus and white flower flavors. So elegant and lively, yet full of flavor and marked by a lingering finish. Drink or hold.

95 Points - Jeb Dunnuck:
"The 2023 Chardonnay Lady Marjorie is a cuvée dedicated to Carlo and Dante’s grandmother. It’s bright, salty, and savory in this vintage, with a crystalline feel to its fresh notes of Anjou pear, lime leaf, savory lime oils, wet stones, and beeswax. The palate is focused and long, with electric salty lift, bright acidity, and a silky richness of concentration. They have really improved the quality of their Chardonnay. I used to think they were more Chenin-like and slightly oxidative in style, but I love that these are coming into focus. An age-worthy vintage, I would encourage readers to not sleep on the whites here. Drink 2025-2037."

94 Points - Decanter:
The 2023 Lady Marjorie Chardonnay is a blend of different pockets within the Freestone-Occidental vineyard, with a portion of fruit from Charles Ranch in Fort Ross-Seaview. Crafted in a cuvée style, it reflects the broader coastal character of Raen’s Chardonnay. Picked on October 9th - nearly a month later than the previous vintage - it shows lively, medium to high acidity and classic aromas of Meyer lemon, gently layered with a signature coastal saline edge. The mid-palate brings riper fruit than the Charles Ranch bottling, with flavours of peaches and nectarines and a vivid minerality that lingers through the finish.

99 Points - James Suckling (2022):
"Pears, peaches and hints of honeysuckle. So perfumed with rocky undertones and notes of bananas and flint. Full-bodied with a freshness and depth that is impressive and extremely long and persistent. Flint and lime at the end. Salty and intense. Love to drink it now but needs a few years of bottle age." (Jan 2024)