Winemaker Notes
Fox Den is perched on top of StoetzRidge, at the western border of Green Valley and just above the town of Occidental. The Gold Ridge soil here is extremely sandy since this ridge is old pushed-up sea bottom, making for low vigor vines, slow ripening, and beautifully floral and fruit-driven wine. Here on the hill, it’s frequently a touch warmer than at the bottom of the valley, but it’s still always among the last harvested and highest in natural acidity of our Pinots. Dan and Steve planted the spot together in 2002, and Dan has been crafting the wine since 2004.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Enthusiast
From a site above the town of Occidental, this is a beauty of a wine that's high in natural acidity and delicately layered with soft, velvety waves of texture. Raspberry, cherry and allspice flavors commingle, while a tease of blueberry comes into focus. Editors’ Choice
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Pale to medium ruby-purple colored, the 2014 Pinot Noir Fox Den Vineyard Dutton Ranch delivers red currants, pomegranate and rhubarb on the nose, with suggestions of wild thyme and tilled earth. Elegantly fruited and charged with wonderful energy, the medium-bodied palate offers finely grained tannins and plenty of freshness on the long finish.
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.