





Dutton-Goldfield Dutton Ranch Chardonnay
Russian River Valley, California
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.
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)
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.
Tasting Notes
The nose of our 2018 Dutton Ranch Chardonnay is lively with Meyer lemon, green apple, tangerine, with a lovely gardenia floral accent. There’s an oyster shell minerality to the aromas, and a touch of fresh almond nuttiness. In the mouth, the lively/creamy dance continues in a beautifully balanced way, with vivid citrus notes leading the way, rounded out with Fuji apple, pear, and a little mango at the end. The finish is long and bright, lingering with a fresh yet rich key lime pie note.
Food Pairings
This crowd-pleasing wine will match anything from risotto primavera and chicken salad to grilled halibut and pork chops in a white wine cream sauce.
Vintage Notes
The 2018 season was fairly ideal, with a cool summer and harvest season giving us long hang-time. This allowed us the luxury of picking exactly when we wanted, when the sugars and acids were in perfect alignment. The resulting wines have the excellent balance of lushness and crispness we love.
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.
Technical Info
100% Chardonnay Alcohol: 13.5% Ta: 6.7 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)
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, Ruxton, 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.
Tasting Notes
The nose of our 2017 Dutton Ranch Chardonnay is particularly lively this vintage, with fresh lemon curd leading the aromas, accented by mango, green apple, and a pretty lily of the valley floral note. The mouth is beautifully balanced, with a key lime pie combination of zippiness and creaminess, rounded out with apple, pear, and apricot, making this a crowd-pleasing wine for chardonnay fans of all kinds, and may even convert non-chardonnay drinkers.
Food Pairings
Its brightness makes a great foil for richer dished like spaghetti carbonara, oysters Rockefeller, or sole meunière.
Vintage Notes
The wet 2017 winter got our vineyards off to a healthy growing season. A postcard-perfect summer followed, and then a heat spike over Labor Day launched us toward ripening and harvest, with our chardonnay vineyards all coming in September 10th to 26th.
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.
Technical Info
100% Chardonnay Alcohol: 13.5% Ta: 5.9 g/L pH: 3.44 100% barrel fermentation 100% malolactic fermentation, lees stirred twice monthly Barrel Aging: 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. Dan and Steve select their favorite Dutton Ranch vineyards to craft a wine reflecting our vision of classic Russian River Valley Chardonnay. The vineyards we choose are based on our desire to offer wines 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, Ruxton, Mengle, and Walker Hill. They contribute a focused citrus backbone, lemon/lime/ tropical fruit, and mineral overtones to this offering. George Jewell and Dutton Hill provide classic, bright crystalline fruit, while our Dijon clone 95 block of JJJS, in the cold Valley by the old Dutton shop, rounds out the wine with its unctuous pear fruit and creamy mouth feel.
Tasting Notes
Our 2016 Dutton Ranch Chardonnay showcases the appellation and our vision for this wine beautifully, giving us the classic mix of lively fruit, nutty spice, creamy richness and mouthwatering freshness we love. The nose leads with round yet focused aromas of pear, lemon oil, brioche, and roasted chestnuts. Delicate lily of the valley floral hints weave their way through, adding a pretty touch. The mouth is full of rich decadence while retaining its core of bright acidity, like a key lime crème brulee. Flavors of green apple, mango, apricot, and Eureka lemon are accented by toasted hazelnuts and toffee.
Food Pairings
The brightness and richness of this Chardonnay make it an excellent match with a broad range of foods, from butternut squash ravioli with fried sage, to veal piccata, to scallops in a cream sauce, although it’s equally at home with a humble wedge of tangy Parmesan cheese.
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.
Technical Info
100% Chardonnay Alcohol: 13.8% Ta: 6.6 g/L pH: 3.41 Barrel Aging: 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. Dan and Steve select their favorite Dutton Ranch vineyards to craft a wine reflecting our vision of classic Russian River Valley Chardonnay. The vineyards we choose are based on our desire to offer wines with fruit intensity, richness and great acid structure, even after full barrel and malolactic fermentation. The heart of our benchmark Chardonnay (75% between them) 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. George Jewell and Dutton Hill provide classic, bright crystalline fruit, while our Dijon clone 95 block of JJJS, in the cold Valley by the old Dutton shop, rounds out the wine with its unctuous pear fruit and creamy mouth feel.
Tasting Notes
Since Dutton Ranch prunes their chardonnay vineyards first, they start their growing season early and were thankfully already a ways into set when the spring rains hit, so didn’t see as dramatic an impact to yields as our other vineyards did this vintage. Even so, the crop was down a bit from the previous few vintages, giving the 2015 wines great intensity. At the same time, there’s a particular focus to our whites this year that we love about our neighborhood. Our 2015 Dutton Ranch Chardonnay shows this liveliness right away in the nose, leading with zesty lime, Meyer lemon and tangerine, backed by more sultry notes of lemon oil and roasted nuts. The mouth is fresh with citrus, yet has a luscious creaminess at the same time. The initial lemon/lime hit is followed by rounder flavors of pear and green apple, along with a touch of apricot. The finish is brisk and refreshing, with a dash of toasty chestnut. The delicious chardonnay’s bright/rich combination make it the perfect match or counterpoint to a wide range of foods, with shellfish in a cream sauce the ultimate echo of the wine’s qualities.
Food Pairings
The delicious chardonnay’s bright/rich combination make it the perfect match or counterpoint to a wide range of foods, with shellfish in a cream sauce the ultimate echo of the wine’s qualities.
Vintage Notes
Since Dutton Ranch prunes their chardonnay vineyards first, they start their growing season early and were thankfully already a ways into set when the spring rains hit, so didn’t see as dramatic an impact to yields as our other vineyards did this vintage. Even so, the crop was down a bit from the previous few vintages, giving the 2015 wines great intensity. At the same time, there’s a particular focus to our whites this year that we love about our neighborhood.
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.
Technical Info
Alcohol: 13.8% Ta: 6.6 g/L pH: 3.43 Barrel Aging: 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. Dan and Steve select their favorite Dutton Ranch vineyards to craft a wine reflecting our vision of classic Russian River Valley Chardonnay. The vineyards we choose are based on our desire to offer wines with fruit intensity, richness and great acid structure, even after full barrel and malolactic fermentation. The heart of our benchmark Chardonnay (75% between them) is our old vine (greater than 30 years), old clone vineyards located in the cold heart of Green Valley: Mill Station, Sullivan, Walker Hill and Rued. They contribute a focused citrus backbone, lemon/lime/tropical fruit, and mineral overtones to this offering. Morelli Lane Vineyard, planted to the Hyde clone of Chardonnay, is located high on top of Stoetz Ridge and contributes notes of floral stone fruit to the wine. Our Dijon clone 95 block of JJJS, in the cold Valley by the old Dutton shop, rounds out the wine with its unctuous pear fruit and creamy mouth feel.
Tasting Notes
2014 was another generous growing season in the Russian River Valley, with picture-perfect weather from spring through harvest. We brought in our blocks for the Dutton Ranch Chardonnay over the course of five weeks, from the warmer Morelli Lane site on August 28 to the extremely cool and low-lying Mill Station Vineyard on October 1. The vintage again gave us just what we want for this expression of the appellation: bright fruit, balance, and a solid backbone. The wine leads out with aromas of lemon oil, pear and apricot, with a touch of tropical mango and pineapple framing the edges. The mouth is beautifully fresh, with just the right amount of creaminess. A citrus medley of lemon, grapefruit, tangerine, and a bit of lime zest is underlain with luscious ginger crème caramel notes. The finish is lively, with a kiss of toffee at the end balancing out the juicy Green Valley acidity. The pairing options are expansive and diverse, from crab salad to honey baked ham to a sharp Pecorino.
Food Pairings
The pairing options are expansive and diverse, from crab salad to honey baked ham to a sharp Pecorino.
Vintage Notes
2014 was another generous growing season in the Russian River Valley, with picture-perfect weather from spring through harvest. We brought in our blocks for the Dutton Ranch Chardonnay over the course of five weeks, from the warmer Morelli Lane site on August 28 to the extremely cool and low-lying Mill Station Vineyard on October 1. The vintage again gave us just what we want for this expression of the appellation: bright fruit, balance, and a solid backbone.
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.
Technical Info
Alcohol: 13.8% Ta: 6.4 g/L pH: 3.44 Barrel Aging: 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. Dan and Steve select their favorite Dutton Ranch vineyards to craft a wine reflecting our vision of classic Russian River Valley Chardonnay. The vineyards we choose are based on our desire to offer wines with fruit intensity, richness and great acid structure, even after full barrel and malolactic fermentation. The heart of our benchmark Chardonnay (75% between them) is our old vine (greater than 30 years), old clone vineyards located in the cold heart of Green Valley: Mill Station, Sullivan, Walker Hill and Rued. They contribute a focused citrus backbone, lemon/lime/tropical fruit, and mineral overtones to this offering. Morelli Lane Vineyard, planted to the Hyde clone of Chardonnay, is located high on top of Stoetz Ridge and contributes notes of floral stone fruit to the wine. Our Dijon clone 95 block of JJJS, in the cold Valley by the old Dutton shop, rounds out the wine with its unctuous pear fruit and creamy mouth feel.