Winemaker Notes
About Dutton Ranch
Dutton Ranch is composed of 1,100 acres of premium Sonoma County vineyards planted on coveted Goldridge sandy loam soil. Fruit for this vintage was sourced from several locations within Dutton Ranch's Russian River Valley vineyards. Plots in the warmer end of the valley contributed ripe tropical elements, while those from cooler areas lent minerality and a structural backbone.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
With a rich, dense and fruity nose of baked pear and tropical crème brûlée, this wine is broadly fleshy and lush, with underlying crispness that contrasts and keeps it effortlessly fresh. The bottle is incredibly heavy, but the wine is nicely light
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2018 Calling Dutton Ranch Chardonnay is enticing, compelling, and long. TASTING NOTES: This wine exhibits aromas and flavors of cream, earth, and ripe apples. Enjoy its lush and slightly elevated palate with grilled Mary's organic chicken thighs in a light cream sauce. (Tasted: February 15, 2021, San Francisco, CA)
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Wine Spectator
Luscious, with spicy richness to the concentrated pear tart, apple pastry and dried apricot flavors. Creamy midpalate, featuring light, buttery nuances on the finish. Drink now through 2023.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
A standout region for its decidedly Californian take on Burgundian varieties, the Russian River Valley is named for the eponymous river that flows through it. While there are warm pockets of the AVA, it is mostly a cool-climate growing region thanks to breezes and fog from the nearby Pacific Ocean.
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir reign supreme in Russian River, with the best examples demonstrating a unique combination of richness and restraint. The cool weather makes Russian River an ideal AVA for sparkling wine production, utilizing the aforementioned varieties. Zinfandel also performs exceptionally well here. Within the Russian River Valley lie the smaller appellations of Chalk Hill and Green Valley. The former, farther from the ocean, is relatively warm, with a focus on red and white Bordeaux varieties. The latter is the coolest, foggiest parcel of the Russian River Valley and is responsible for outstanding Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.