Winemaker Notes
Pale yellow color, a combination of fresh yellow apple and hints of baking spices in the aromas. Richly textured - but dry (not sweet) though the palate. More exotic fruit flavors - Asian pear, tangerine and a long finish of marzipan and apple.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Grapes for the 2020 Chardonnay Dutton Ranch Shop Block 1967 were harvested on September 7, and the wine was matured exclusively in used oak. It is slow to open from saline and lemon to a perfumed core of apricot and biscuit. The medium-bodied palate is satiny and mouth-coating with highly concentrated fruit, although its shimmery acidity offers great balance. It has a long, nuanced finish. It's open and inviting.
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James Suckling
Aromas of pears and apple skin with some ginger and lemon rind follow through to a full body with honey and cold cooked apple. Flavorful finish with just a hint of vanilla. Old vine chardonnay character from 1967 shines through. Drink or hold.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2020 Chardonnay Shop Block 1967 takes on a darker expression, with flinty smoke, pineapple, and jasmine. It has more concentration and length of fruit on the mid-palate, with ripe pineapple, orange zest, and baking spice.
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Wine Spectator
There's an appealing density to the flavors of upside-down pineapple cake, with notes of grilled peach, candied ginger and fresh-cut Honeycrisp apple. Details of wildflower honey and spices linger. Drink now. 100 cases made.
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.