Winemaker Notes
Another drought year leading to water stressed vines produced a richly phenolic wine further intensified with a healthy dose of whole cluster fermentation. Swirling the glass offers up dizzying aromas of freshly picked berries and mom’s delights roasting in the kitchen: blackberries, cherry pie, pepper, tobacco and bacon. The skillful addition of new wood is expressed in the subtle nuance of vanilla and smoke. A velvety pillow greets the palate, followed by luscious blackberries, balanced acidity and sturdy yet refined tannins that linger alongside pleasing notes of berry and crispy bacon.
Indelibly a food wine, this Syrah demands the attention of your hardiest recipes.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
From a site on the western edge of Green Valley, this wine rocks in its light-bodied wrestling of white pepper and floral violet intrigue, so inviting on the nose. It opens slowly to unravel high-toned acidity and aspects of wild berry that are irresistible in their succulence and depth.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2014 Dutton Goldfield Cherry Ridge Vineyard Syrah is an outstanding wine. TASTING NOTES: This wine is nicely-packed and long in the finish. Its jazzy aromas and flavors of bold, black fruit, oak accents, and mixed berries should pair it famously well with braised lamb. (Tasted: September 9, 2019, San Francisco, CA)
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Wine & Spirits
Purple and luscious when first poured, with a vanillin scent of oak, this shows its cooler aspects with air. It comes from a south-facing site on the southwestern end of the Russian River Valley, just north of the Petaluma Gap, and feels both sunny and breezy, a delicious floral tone lifting its plump fruit. It’s a spicy, satisfying syrah for a pork chop.
Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are the mainstays of the Dutton-Goldfield production. Using fruit from carefully chosen vineyards, Dan Goldfield produces wine that reflects the natural tendencies of the area: crisp, well-structured wines that display the complexity, balance and intensity that the partners believe are key to world-class wines.
Dutton-Goldfield Winery's first releases were a Dutton Ranch Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from the 1998 vintage. Today Dan and Steve continue to produce Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from Dutton Ranch plantings, numerous vineyard-designated wines, as well as small lots of old vine Zinfandel and hillside Syrah. The Dutton-Goldfield wines are crafted using traditional techniques such as barrel and malolactic fermentation for the Chardonnay, and open top fermentation for the Pinot Noir.
The winery is a partnership of friends, colleagues, neighbors and families. The wines reflect this spectacular part of Northern California where the grapes are grown, the superb quality of fruit from perfectly placed and planted vineyards, and the work of an appreciative winemaker.
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
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.