Winemaker Notes
Vibrant Eureka lemon zest, fresh peach and racy minerality with touches of Acacia flower. Layers of subtle pear and under-ripe nectarine beneath mouthwatering acidity, over a clean, linear palate.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This is a Dutton Ranch chardonnay, showing cooked-apple, lemon and peach character with praline and vanilla undertones. Opulent, yet in check. Full-bodied and layered. Very long and flavorful. No wood here. Fermented and aged in concrete eggs. Such a beautiful and pure single-vineyard Sonoma white. Drink or hold.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2019 Chardonnay Dutton Ranch comes from a single vineyard in the Russian River Valley and is a slightly richer, bigger wine compared to the Sonoma Coast release. Offering lots of stone fruits, crushed citrus, mint, and sappy herb nuances, it has subtle background oak and toasty nuances, medium-bodied richness, nicely integrated acidity, and a great finish. It’s another beautifully balanced, clean, classic Chardonnay from this estate that has loads to love.
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.