Back To Menu
Dutton-Goldfield Dutton Ranch Chardonnay
Russian River Valley, California
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.
Food Pairings
Its brightness makes a great foil for richer dished like spaghetti carbonara, oysters Rockefeller, or sole meunière.
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.
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
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.
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
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.
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.
DOWNLOAD
Enjoy the downloadable assets for this wine below.
