2016 Dutton-Goldfield Chardonnay Dutton Ranch Russian River Valley 750 ml

A Benchmark for Classic California Wine

In the span of a single generation, Sonoma’s Russian River Valley has transformed from a quiet, bucolic orchard community to Sonoma’s trendiest sub-zone, complete with glitzy tasting rooms and prices that rival Burgundy. But there’s one classic vineyard, the outlier amid the apple orchards, that’s grown but hasn’t changed: Dutton Ranch. Their early wines inspired legions of winemakers to flock to these lush Sonoma hillsides, but the Dutton clan had already laid claim to some of the best sites, and now stewards over 1,000 acres of pristine terroir. 

For lovers of the world’s white wines—novices and seasoned collectors alike—Dutton-Goldfield is a must-know label, and their bottles deserve to be well-stocked in the cellar and opened often. Wine Enthusiast raved over this Dutton-Goldfield release, calling it “bright and supple,” and “a delicious wine,” while Wine & Spirits Magazine named Dutton-Goldfield a Top 100 Winery in the World. Robert Parker himself also placed the Dutton family “among the most highly respected grape growers in Northern California.” 

The Dutton Ranch was founded in 1964, and today’s iteration of Dutton-Goldfield was born over 20 years ago, when longtime friends Steve Dutton and Dan Goldfield launched a label to honor their home appellation. Ever since, their releases have captured the essence of the foggy, picturesque Russian River Valley and why it’s absolutely perfect for Chardonnay. Here, fog washes over the vineyards, protecting them from intense morning sunshine and gifting the vines with a longer, slower, growing season than their neighbors. The result is grapes with incredible complexity that lend a bevy of aromas and flavors to the final wines, which simply can’t be replicated in other appellations.

Dan Goldfield’s secret weapons in this Chardonnay are prized grapes from three Green Valley sub-AVA sites—Mill Station, Sullivan, and Walker Hill. These sites contribute a real citrus backbone, along with tropical aromas and mineral overtones. The George Jewell and Dutton Hill ranch, which sits on a gentle slope half a mile from Kosta Browne’s Keefer Ranch, and a couple of miles west of the Barlow, delivers clusters that contribute classic and vivid crystalline fruit purity. Goldfield will go one further, happy to reveal the other secret—that it’s all about Dijon clone 95, from their JJJS site, near the old Dutton shop, which delivers a rich and creamy mouthfeel.

The 2016 growing season in Northern California ushered in a return to normalcy, with a terrific, even-keeled season, with no major heat spikes, and plenty of spring rains to keep vines healthy and at normal vigor from bud-break to harvest—a blessing for everyone after the historically low-yielding 2015 harvest. Each lot Goldfield brought into the winery was entirely barrel-fermented and aged for 10 months in fine French Seguin Moreau barrels, adding ginger spice, and rich mouthfeel, while Fouquet barrels give the wine lift. 

This is benchmark Russian River Chardonnay from a classic estate, and a must-have for white wine lovers from coast to coast.