Dutton-Goldfield Chardonnay Russian River Valley Rued Vineyard 2009

ABOUT DUTTON-GOLDFIELD Dutton-Goldfield Winery began with a handshake in a vineyard in 1998, when longtime colleagues and friends Steve Dutton and Dan Goldfield recognized a shared vision between them—to craft wines that express the personalities of their cool-climate vineyards, and which they'd enjoy drinking at their own dinner tables. A fifth-generation farmer, Steve grew up with a love of driving tractors, and without any doubt about his future career. His father, Warren Dutton, had begun growing grapes in the western reaches of Russian River Valley in the mid-1960s, at a time when most people thought the area was too cool to grow fruit for quality still wine. Steve started working with his father when he was five years old, and joined Dutton Ranch full-time in 1987. Today, along with his mother and brother, he manages the family business, which has grown from its original 35-acre home shop vineyard to over 80 separate vineyards comprising more than 1,000 acres throughout western Russian River Valley. After graduating from Boston's Brandeis University, Dan headed west to begin a career in research chemistry, with a few detours for skiing and hiking on the way. Always an outdoor enthusiast, the life of lab work was quickly replaced with a dream of winemaking when his brother turned him on to the 1969 Burgundies. Dan entered the University of California at Davis, graduating with an M.S. in Enology in 1986. He gained knowledge on the job with stints at Robert Mondavi Winery and Schramsberg as well as winemaking in Portugal for two years. He found his passion in Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, first as the winemaker at the Burgundian-focused La Crema Winery, and then at Hartford Court, which was created under his direction. Dan's appreciation for the beauty of the extraordinary landscape around our home is reflected in his winemaking. THE WINES Pinot Noir is all about eliciting the flavors of the piece of earth from which it comes. We have the privilege of sourcing fruit from a spectacular array of vineyards throughout western Russian River Valley and beyond, many of which Steve and Dan worked together to plant. From our favorite Dutton Ranch parcels, we select the vineyards that will blend together to become a quintessential Russian River pinot. We then choose a few special sites that epitomize their terroir to bottle in limited-production single-vineyard wines. In all our pinots, our goal is to create wines of balance and individuality that speak about their home. The distinctive character of the land truly comes through in wines from the old, cold, dry-farmed chardonnay vineyards of Green Valley. Warren Dutton was the first to plant chardonnay in the coldest areas of the western Russian River in the mid-60s, giving Dutton Ranch a choice collection of vineyards today. From these, we select sites that give us wines with a vibrant citrus core, focused fruit, great richness and solid acidity, even after full barrel and malolactic fermentation. Syrah and Zinfandel express themselves beautifully in our cold part of the world. Our climate gives these wines bright fruit, silky tannins and moderate alcohol. Open top fermentation and aging in the finest French oak enhances their natural suppleness, complexity and balance. Dutton-Goldfield’s mission is to craft world-class wines that display the brightness of fruit, complexity, structure and balance that are reflective of our cool coastal home. Tasting Room open daily, 10am to 4pm Read less