Winemaker Notes
Leading aromas of cedar and redwood, and a savory spice quality that frames the brooding berry core of fruit. In the mouth, juicy bramble berries and blueberries are wrapped in elegant, fine-grained tannins. The sleek texture and mountain fruit are backed by lively acidity, while baking spices complete the lengthy finish. Play up the sweet and savory nature of the wine with similar pairings, such as brown sugar and paprika rubbed salmon, butternut squash and mushroom risotto, and roast chicken, and cheeses like Cypress Grove’s Bermuda Triangle.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
Structured in tight, youthful tannin, this wine opens in pretty aromas of rose petal and fresh citrus. Bright acidity rides beneath layers of pomegranate, strawberry and blueberry steeped in baking spice and forest tones, with a lingering note of integrated oak.
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Connoisseurs' Guide
Sporting a savory, mildly earthy trim to its mix of ripe black cherries and plums on the nose then fixing on fairly bright and lively, cherry-like fruit in its mid-depth flavors, this slightly fleshy middleweight displays good varietal focus and length with a moderated sense of richness. Its strength lies in its vitality rather than concentration or sweeping complexity, and, although it is balanced to age successfully for three to five years, its fruity brightness affords it plenty of near-term appeal.
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.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
Situated on the foggier and colder western edge of the Russian River Valley, almost abutting the Sonoma Coast appellation, Green Valley is one of California’s most reputable Chardonnay and Pinot noir producing regions. It is also a wonderful source of sparkling wines made from these varieties.
Goldridge soils abound throughout the Green Valley appellation. This fine, dark, sandy loam and fractured sandstone is derived from the remains of ancient inland seabeds dating back three to five million years. It is valuable for high quality grape growing because of its excellent drainage and low fertility.