Nose
The 2018 Dutton Ranch Chardonnay is quintessential Russian River Valley. The wine opens with toasted almond, butter cookie and nutmeg aromas.
Palate
one-dry and inviting, the palate is filled with Meyer lemon, passionfruit and orange blossom flavors. There’s a compelling lushness to the mid-palate that leads to a nice mineral quality on the finish. Once again, Dutton Ranch has delivered a wonderfully age-worthy wine that captures the charm and complexity of some of Sonoma County’s oldest Chardonnay vines.
Growing Conditions
Made with some of the oldest plantings of Chardonnay in western Sonoma County, this wine is predominantly a blend of California heritage clones and selections—Hyde-Wente, Robert Young, Rued, UC Davis Clone 4 and Spring Mountain. Since some of these vines are dry farmed, they produce small but intensely concentrated berries, making for great depth of flavor and texture. Historically, Dutton Ranch yields fragrant, tropical aromatics and a crisp mineral character. Dutton Ranch is in the heart of Russian River’s cool Green Valley.
The weather in 2018 was spectacular, making this another exceptionally fine vintage for Sonoma County. A near record long growing season, with plenty of cool days, punctuated with sunny and warm patches allowed flavors and textures to mature fully. Crop levels were above average, with many sites producing the best crops in years. The acidity levels are higher than normal, with perfectly ripened fruit.
Though the year was cool, the fruit was very clean and high quality. A vintage to remember!
Bottling
• Bottled without filtration to preserve the wine’s aromas and flavors and enhance aging potential
Winemaking
• 100% Whole cluster pressed
• 100%indigenousyeastfermentations
• Sur lie aged with weekly stirring
• 100% malo-lactic fermentation in barrel
Aging
• 100% Burgundian French oak barrels (27% new; 73% 1-2-year old)