Winemaker Notes
Dutton Ranch fruit is some of the most highly regarded in Sonoma County and beyond. We work closely with the family to select grapes from various vineyards throughout the Green Valley region so we can build an incredibly balanced, well-rounded Chardonnay. This vintage had a cold start and a warm finish with an early harvest due to warm August and September weather and a lighter crop. This resulted in an excellent vintage and good growing season with no lingering heat waves. Because of the growing season, wines have exceptional flavors, are intense with great color, fuit forward and ripe.
Professional Ratings
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Wine Spectator
Bold and rich, with notes of cardamom, candied ginger, nutmeg and vanilla to complement the core of peach, grilled lemon, toasted brioche and almond nougat. A salted toffee thread lingers on the finish. Drink now. 9,100 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.