Nose
Green apple and spicy pear aromas leap from the glass. Notes of Muscat and orange blossom waft around toasted hazelnut, clove, banana and fresh earth.
Palate
Dense and mouth filling, the wine shows great acidic flow and a dynamic range of flavors. It’s complex without being heavy or tedious. Tangerine, dried apricot, chai tea and crème caramel dart and weave through the long finish. The 2016 offering is broader, denser and fuller bodied than the 2015. 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.
2016 was another fantastic growing season. It started out with good winter rainfall, which after four years of drought, was a big relief. While the summer of 2016 was quite hot, a perfectly timed cool-down over a three-week period in August allowed the grapes to ripen with moderate sugar levels. It also preserved the acidity that is so essential to making great Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Thus, the quality is exceptional with vivid, alluring flavors in the Chardonnays and deep colors and gorgeous aromatics in the Pinot Noir.
Winemaking
• 100% Whole-cluster pressed
• 100% indigenous yeast fermentations
• Sur lie aged with weekly stirring
• 100% malo-lactic fermentation in barrel
Aging
• 100% Burgundian French oak barrels (35% new; 65% 1-2-year old)
