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Dutton-Goldfield Dutton Ranch Chardonnay
Russian River Valley, California, USA
Tasting Notes
Aromas: Apple blossom, Anjou pear, Lemon zest
Flavors: Ripe Anjou pear, Fuji apple pastry, apricot, candied lemon, soft & creamy texture.
Body & Finish: Bright acidity, good mid-palate density and a lingering slightly saline/mineral finish.
Food Pairings
Scallops with a lemon butter sauce would make an excellent pairing, as would crab, lobster, or a meaty halibut. For cheese, try an aged cheddar to match the creaminess of the chardonnay, or a gruyere.
Winemaking Notes
Fermentation: 100% barrel fermented for added texture and depth
ML: 100% Malolactic fermentation which softens the wine & adds creaminess
Lees Stirring: Stirred twice a month through winter for richness and body
Aging Details: Aged in 100% French oak barrels (40% new) for about 10 months
Vineyard Notes
Farmed by: Dutton Ranch — six generations of farming in Sonoma’s Russian River Valley
Location(s): Cool-climate Green Valley, a prized sub-region within Russian River Valley
Philosophy: Certified Sustainable by CSWA and Sonoma County — farming with care to preserve the land for future generations
Site Influence: Old vine Chardonnay from Mill Station & Walker Hill vineyards brings bright citrus, lemon zest, stone fruit & a clean, mineral finish. Z Clone block near the original Dutton family shop adds exotic aromatics, juicy pear, and a smooth, creamy texture
Tasting Notes
A beautiful bouquet of orange blossom and dried apricot appeals to the senses up front, while layers of citrus and crème brûlée allude to freshness and volume in the mouth. Melon, nectarine, and stone fruit provide supporting aromas. In the mouth, pear and citrus interplay with a touch of spice and butterscotch, almost seeming confectionary and creamy despite the absence of any residual sugar. The finish is fresh with lemon zest and an ocean minerality reminiscent of the Sonoma Coast just to the west.
Food Pairings
Try it with our local Dungeness crab, Tomales Bay oysters Rockefeller, or a creamy clam chowder. Valley Ford’s Estero Gold Reserve cheese is a great match, as is a cave-aged gruyere.
Vintage Notes
The 2022 season began with ideal weather conditions and early winter rains, getting the vines off to a healthy start. An early bud break culminated in a Chardonnay vintage that began nearly 10 days earlier than 2021.
Winemaking Notes
The individual lots are barrel fermented using a combination of indigenous and inoculated yeast strains. They undergo malolactic full fermentation, and the lees are stirred twice monthly through the winter. The blend is assembled, with the primary lees, in early spring, and continues to age in French oak barrels through the summer. We at Dutton-Goldfield choose our barrels to emphasize the fruit and vineyard characteristics of the wine, rather than showcasing the oak itself. We love the ginger/nutmeg overtones of Seguin Moreau, and the buttercream components of Fouquet barrels to compliment the citrus focus of this wine. The wine is bottled in early Fall after approximately ten months in barrel.
100% barrel fermentation, 100% malolactic fermentation, lees stirred twice monthly
Aged 10 months in French oak barrels (40% new barrels)
Vineyard Notes
Dutton Ranch farms over eighty unique, separate vineyards located in the coolest areas of the Russian River Valley, primarily in the Green Valley appellation. We select our favorite Dutton Ranch vineyards to craft a wine reflecting our vision of classic Russian River Valley Chardonnay. The vineyards are chosen to create a wine with fruit intensity, richness and great acid structure, even after full barrel and malolactic fermentation. All of these vineyards are Sonoma County Certified Sustainable.
The heart of our benchmark Chardonnay is our old vine (greater than 30 years), old clone vineyards located in the cold heart of Green Valley: Mill Station and Walker Hill. They contribute a focused citrus backbone, candied lemon/stone fruit, and mineral overtones. Our Z clone block in the cold Valley by the old Dutton shop provides exotic aromas and rounds out the wine with its unctuous pear fruit and creamy mouthfeel.
Technical Info
VARIETAL: 100% Chardonnay
APPELLATION: Russian River Valley
VINEYARDS: All Certified Sustainable - Mill Station, Walker Hill, Z Clone
ALCOHOL: 13.5%
TITRATABLE ACIDITY: 6.9 gm/Lit.
PH: 3.33
Tasting Notes
The temperate 2021 growing season let us hang our old chardonnay vineyards until mid to late September, giving us excellent ripeness without sacrificing acidity. The great combination of bright and lush comes through right away in the nose, which leads with a bouquet of white spring flowers surrounding the core of lemon zest. Pear, green apple, and kiwi provide supporting fruit notes. In the mouth, the crisp and opulent theme continues, with lemon curd and creamy pear lifted with a lime zest finish. A little oyster shell minerality on the finish reminds you of the Sonoma Coast just to the west, and also of delicious shellfish pairings.
Food Pairings
Try it with our local Dungeness crab, Tomales Bay oysters Rockefeller, or a creamy clam chowder. Valley Ford’s Estero Gold Reserve cheese is a great match, as is a cave-aged gruyere.
Winemaking Notes
inoculated yeast strains. They undergo malolactic full fermentation, and the lees are stirred twice monthly through the winter. The blend is assembled, with the primary lees, in early spring, and continues to age in French oak barrels through the summer. We at Dutton-Goldfield choose our barrels to emphasize the fruit and vineyard characteristics of the wine, rather than showcasing the oak itself. We love the ginger/nutmeg overtones of Seguin Moreau, and the buttercream components of Fouquet barrels to compliment the citrus focus of this wine. The wine is bottled in early Fall after approximately ten months in barrel.
100% barrel fermentation
100% malolactic fermentation, lees stirred twice monthly
Barrel aged 10 months in French oak barrels (40% new barrels)
Vineyard Notes
Dutton Ranch farms over eighty unique, separate vineyards located in the coolest areas of the Russian River Valley, primarily in the Green Valley appellation. We select our favorite Dutton Ranch vineyards to craft a wine reflecting our vision of classic Russian River Valley Chardonnay. The vineyards are chosen to create a wine with fruit intensity, richness and great acid structure, even after full barrel and malolactic fermentation. All of these vineyards are Sonoma County Certified Sustainable.
The heart of our benchmark Chardonnay is our old vine (greater than 30 years), old clone vineyards located in the cold heart of Green Valley: Mill Station, Sullivan, and Walker Hill. They contribute a focused citrus backbone, lemon/lime/ tropical fruit, and mineral overtones to this offering. Our Z clone block in the cold Valley by the old Dutton shop rounds out the wine with its unctuous pear fruit and creamy mouth feel.
Technical Info
VARIETAL: 100% Chardonnay
APPELLATION: Russian River Valley
VINEYARDS: All Certified Sustainable - Mill Station, Sullivan, Walker Hill, Z Clone
ALCOHOL: 13.5%
TITRATABLE ACIDITY: 6.7 gm/Lit.
PH: 3.32
Tasting Notes
The 2020 Dutton Ranch Chardonnay wine reflects this extended ripening with the perfect balance of richness and freshness. You can smell both the creamy and crisp nature of the wine right away, as the nose leads with lemon blossom, pear, kiwi, and green apple, with an underlay of crème brûlée. The first sip shows its zesty nature on entry, with refreshing lemon/lime fruit surrounded by softer mango, lychee, and guava tropical notes. A little oyster shell minerality on the finish reminds you of the Sonoma Coast just to the west, and also of delicious shellfish pairings.
Food Pairings
Try it with our local Dungeness crab, Tomales Bay oysters Rockefeller, or a creamy clam chowder. Valley Ford’s Estero Gold Reserve cheese is a great match, as is a cave-aged gruyere.
Vintage Notes
The late spring rains and cool summer in 2020 provided us a long hang-time for our chardonnay vineyards. We harvested the first of our fruit for this wine (the Z Clone) on September 25, and the last (Mill Station) on October 10.
Winemaking Notes
The individual lots are barrel fermented using a combination of indigenous and inoculated yeast strains. They undergo malolactic full fermentation, and the lees are stirred twice monthly through the winter. The blend is assembled, with the primary lees, in early spring, and continues to age in French oak barrels through the summer. We at Dutton-Goldfield choose our barrels to emphasize the fruit and vineyard characteristics of the wine, rather than showcasing the oak itself. We love the ginger/nutmeg overtones of Seguin Moreau, and the buttercream components of Fouquet barrels to compliment the citrus focus of this wine. The wine is bottled in early Fall after approximately ten months in barrel.
Vineyard Notes
Dutton Ranch farms over eighty unique, separate vineyards located in the coolest areas of the Russian River Valley, primarily in the Green Valley appellation. We select our favorite Dutton Ranch vineyards to craft a wine reflecting our vision of classic Russian River Valley Chardonnay. The vineyards are chosen to create a wine with fruit intensity, richness and great acid structure, even after full barrel and malolactic fermentation. All of these vineyards are Sonoma County Certified Sustainable.
The heart of our benchmark Chardonnay is our old vine (greater than 30 years), old clone vineyards located in the cold heart of Green Valley: Mill Station, Sullivan, and Walker Hill. They contribute a focused citrus backbone, lemon/lime/ tropical fruit, and mineral overtones to this offering. Our Z clone block in the cold Valley by the old Dutton shop rounds out the wine with its unctuous pear fruit and creamy mouth feel.
Technical Info
VARIETAL: 100% Chardonnay
APPELLATION: Russian River Valley
VINEYARDS: All Certified Sustainable - Mill Station, Sullivan, Walker Hill, Z Clone
ALCOHOL: 13.5%
TITRATABLE ACIDITY: 5.9 gm/Lit.
PH: 3.56
WINEMAKING: 100% barrel fermentation, 100% malolactic fermentation, lees stirred twice monthly
BARREL AGING: Aged 10 months in French oak barrels (40% new barrels)
Tasting Notes
The 2019 Dutton Ranch Chardonnay has beautiful ripeness and balance. The nose smells rich and inviting, with notes of lemon oil, almond brioche, and a tropical mélange of lychee, pineapple, and kiwi surrounding the core of tangerine and zesty Eureka lemon. This decadence is continued in the mouth, which is creamy with honeyed citrus and pear, along with exotic guava and hazelnut, but always with the fresh lemon/lime center keeping it lively. A little crushed oyster shell minerality adds an invigorating edge to the fruit.
Food Pairings
Scallops with a lemon butter sauce would make an excellent pairing, as would crab, lobster, or a meaty halibut. For cheese, try an aged cheddar to match the creaminess of the chardonnay, or a gruyere to pick up the nuttiness in the wine.
Vintage Notes
The late start and long cool season in 2019 let us hang our chardonnay vineyards well into the season—we picked the first of our fruit for this wine on September 21, and continued through October 15.
Winemaking Notes
The individual lots are barrel fermented using a combination of indigenous and inoculated yeast strains. They undergo malolactic full fermentation, and the lees are stirred twice monthly through the winter. The blend is assembled, with the primary lees, in early spring, and continues to age in French oak barrels through the summer. We at Dutton-Goldfield choose our barrels to emphasize the fruit and vineyard characteristics of the wine, rather than showcasing the oak itself. We love the ginger/nutmeg overtones of Seguin Moreau, and the buttercream components of Fouquet barrels to compliment the citrus focus of this wine. The wine is bottled in early Fall after approximately ten months in barrel.
Vineyard Notes
Dutton Ranch farms over eighty unique, separate vineyards located in the coolest areas of the Russian River Valley, primarily in the Green Valley appellation. We select our favorite Dutton Ranch vineyards to craft a wine reflecting our vision of classic Russian River Valley Chardonnay.The vineyards are chosen to create a wine with fruit intensity, richness and great acid structure, even after full barrel and malolactic fermentation. All of these vineyards are Sonoma County Certified Sustainable. The heart of our benchmark Chardonnay is our old vine (greater than 30 years), old clone vineyards located in the cold heart of Green Valley: Mill Station, Sullivan, Mengle, and Walker Hill. They contribute a focused citrus backbone, lemon/lime/tropical fruit, and mineral overtones to this offering. Our Z clone block in the cold Valley by the old Dutton shop rounds out the wine with its unctuous pear fruit and creamy mouth feel.
Technical Info
100% Chardonnay Alcohol: 13.5% Ta: 6.4 g/L pH: 3.40 100% barrel fermentation 100% malolactic fermentation, lees stirred twice monthly Barrel Aging: Aged 10 months in French oak barrels (40% new barrels)
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