Dutton-Goldfield Chardonnay

THE VINEYARDS

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.

WINEMAKING

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.

THE WINE

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