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Dutton-Goldfield Winery
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Dutton Ranch and Russian River Valley have long been recognized as premier sources for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. By 1998 when Dutton-Goldfield Winery was founded, wine lovers were beginning to distinguish place names like Freestone, Fort Ross, Occidental and Cazadero, all sleepy towns in far west Sonoma County. California's most progressive winemakers were heading west, where the effects of the nearby Pacific Ocean and the proximity of coastal ridge tops combined to reveal vineyard land unique in the world. "Site selection is crucial in the Sonoma Coast and other cold-coast regions," explains Steve. "The cold winds and heavy fogs are not forgiving. Out here if your vineyard isn't just the right combination of elevation, exposure, varietal and clone, you can easily end up with unripe grapes on your hands in late October. This isn't the kind of problem most California growers are used to facing. But when it all comes together, you've got grapes no winemaker in the world would turn down."
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2002 McDougall Vineyard Pinot Noir
The 2002 McDougall Pinot is a powerful and alluring wine. Brooding aromas of black cherries, Asian spice and mineral evolve in the glass. The intensity of the nose is underlain with a beautiful delicate floral perfume. The palate is likewise intense and interesting with deep cherry fruits, vanilla tones and fresh acidity. The extra barrel aging time for this wine provides a saturated fruit quality with tremendous sweet tannin balance. Try this offering alongside a saddle of rabbit, pasta with carbonara sauce, or a tri tip off Mac's grill. 250 cases produced. 92 points, Wine & Spirits.
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2003 Dutton Ranch Chardonnay
The cool, unsettled spring of 2003 made for late budbreak and bloom, and a lot of shatter in our old chardonnay vineyards. Consequently, the vines produced an extremely small crop of concentrated and enthralling fruit. The warm harvest brought it all into focus, and produced chardonnays of extraordinary brightness, round, silky citrus/apple fruit and immaculate acid focus; in short, perfect archetypes for Green Valley chardonnay. In the end, the 2003 Dutton Ranch Chardonnay may be our winemaker's favorite to date-it hits that juicy balance between the luxuriant tangerine and tropical core, the freshening riff of minerality, the bracing hit of acid, and the gentle pillow of oak spice overtones. This is a wine to pair with your most indulgent foods-from pâtés and fresh mozzarella to escargots, salmon with a caper aioli and fettuccini Alfredo.
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Cherry Ridge Vineyard Syrah
Can Syrah really be this silky? The ’03 Cherry Ridge Syrah is truly distinguished by its enticing floral, berry and spice aromatics, but even more so by a plushness in the mouth that keeps you wanting more. True to its region, the wine presents with deep black cherry fruit, broad tannins, balanced acidity and moderate alcohol. True to its varietal, it offers undertones of earth, leather, and spice, as well as the unctuous depth that seduces Syrah lovers. The aromas are of boysenberry, cedar and white pepper. In the mouth it continues with berry/cherry fruit, nutmeg overtones, and a lingering, candied sweet berry finish. But its most distinguishing attribute is the wonderfully rich and velvety tannin structure that carries it all. Its balance and moderate alcohol help this wine to be a great match for foods like veal, braised lamb, a variety of cheeses, and even fresh barbequed salmon.
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Devil's Gulch Vineyard Gewürztraminer
The intensity and beauty of the aromas from this wine are obvious the moment the cork is pulled. Lilacs, grapefruit, ripe peaches and granite are just some of the descriptors that might come to mind. In the mouth it is exceptionally rich for its varietal, but bursting with the bright stone fruit characters that are classic to it. The mineral elements so indicative of this vineyard are also abundantly apparent. Try this wine, well chilled, on your deck with good friends. Mark has assured us that he will consume any of this small production not scarfed by the rest of us.
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Devil's Gulch Vineyard Pinot Noir
The extremely small 2003 vintage produced wines of particular density which truly show the vineyard and appellation character. At Devil’s that would be the exotic wild berry fruit and touch of leather that we feel is the hallmark of Marin County Pinot. Crystalline wild blackberry and spice lead the aromas, while a touch of mushroom, sweet caramel and nutmeg/ginger provide the backdrop. In the mouth it is similarly packed, showing saturated dark fruit and Asian spices that carry through to the finish. The 2003 has a particular plushness on the palate that we think distinguishes this vintage. While lush and ripe, its moderate alcohol provides a wine of balance, brightness and exceptional food compatibility. Try it with some rabbit or lamb from Devil’s Gulch, grilled tuna or risotto with sun-dried tomatoes and mushrooms.
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Devil's Gulch Vineyard Pinot Noir
The 2001 vintage of Devil's Gulch begins to show the huge potential of this special vineyard. The wine opens with deep, brooding aromas of wild berries, black cherry, cinnamon and Asian spices. In the mouth, it follows with sweet blackberry and currant fruit, accentuated by ginger and nutmeg overtones. The combination of big, ripe tannins, moderate alcohol, and good acid balance create a wine that is voluptuous, supple and a great match for food. 375 cases produced. 92 points, Whitley on Wine; 90 points, The Wine News.
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Dutton Ranch Pinot Noir
2004 was a year with good set but low fruitfulness due to the poor 2003 bud development, so a low crop year. The cool summer was followed by a heat spike in late August, and another lasting all through September, with fruit coming in a tidal wave like never before. The long season and warm harvest impart a very deep black fruit character, while the gentle winemaking enhanced the delicate floral nature of our neighborhood. The nose greets you with lilacs, followed by black cherry, dark chocolate and a streak of blueberry. In the mouth, the black cherry dominates the core of sweetness, complemented by black tea, raspberry and fine-grained tannins. The richness of the wine makes it a perfect match for foie gras, glazed duck, barbecued shrimp, eggplant parmesan and Jarlsberg and Asiago cheeses.
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McDougall Vineyard Pinot Noir
Our inaugural release of this Pinot Noir from the Sonoma Coast is a wine of structure, intensity and character. Red berries, wild cherries and minerals come to mind as the wine is poured. It evolves in the glass to yield its softer dark overtones and spice elements. In the mouth, deep cherry and cranberry elements balance the substantial tannins and bright acid, followed by a lingering finish of candied cranberry and black currant. It's a perfect wine for your cellar, as it will evolve gracefully for five to ten years, and is wonderful now with full-flavored meals such as quail with cracked pepper, or a tri tip off Mac's grill. 290 cases produced. 92 points, PinotReport.
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Morelli Lane Vineyard Zinfandel
Located east of the small Russian River Valley town of Occidental, the Morelli Lane Vineyard is truly remarkable. This more than 100-year old dry-farmed and head trained 1.5-acre vineyard is all that's left of what was once a much larger vineyard. Our 2002 vintage is a blockbuster of a wine. The vintage yielded a wine of great intensity and length, but demonstrates elegance and silkiness rare to Zinfandel. It explodes with blackberry fruit intermingled with red raspberry notes and underlying vanilla tones and spice. The crystalline berry fruit is well balanced with lush tannins and spice tones of ginger and nutmeg. It finishes with a burst of berry fruits and subtle spice. This is a Zin that's wonderfully easy to drink and, with its moderate alcohol, is perfect with many foods, from a steak off the barbecue, to gnocchi with meat sauce, beef stew, eggplant parmesan and sharp cheddar cheese. 212 cases produced.
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Morelli Lane Vineyard Zinfandel
The low yield and warm harvest of 2004 perfectly suited the old vines at Morelli. In this cool area the zin loves the heat, which promoted great tannin ripeness and rewarded us with a wine of particular lushness, even for this vineyard. Raspberries, blueberries and cream jump out of the glass as soon as you pour the wine. It’s remarkable that something so fresh and vivid comes from vines so old and gnarled. With time in the glass, the deep black cherry, bramble and floral notes emerge. In the mouth it offers a rare freshness and suppleness for the varietal, along with plush berry fruit and a touch of bramble and bittersweet chocolate. Its bright fruit carries through to the finish, thanks to the moderate alcohol and lively acidity. Wonderfully easy to drink, it’s perfect with everything from a steak off the barbecue and roasted poultry to grilled swordfish and assertive cheeses.
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Rued Vineyard Chardonnay
Warren Dutton planted this vineyard in 1969, at a time when you just ordered up your garden-variety chardonnay vines to plant (chardonnay scion wood on St. George rootstock was the standard). It turned out that some of the clones were very unusual, producing fruit with exotic, tropical notes and a lush body. They were so unique, the vines are now propaged as the Rued Clone. 2002 produced a wine of particular density and aromatic intensity, along with the solid structure typical of old vines from our cold climate. This is a great wine to enjoy with decadent dishes such as crab louie or escargots, if you can get some before Dan's wife Loie drinks it all herself. 300 cases produced. 90 points, Wine Spectator; Gold Medal, San Francisco International Wine Competition.
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Russian River Valley Zinfandel
The warm harvest of 2004 was perfect for zinfandel, especially the old vines of Feeney Ranch. In this blend, 2004 gave us a great lushness along with thick cherry and berry fruit, while still maintaining the focus and structure that Dutton-Goldfield prefers in our wines. In the nose, the wine leads with aromas of cherry cobbler and candied cranberries, with a touch of roasted nuts and vanilla as overtones. The mouth follows with bright cherry and berry fruit, notes of cocoa and allspice, and a wonderful combination of opulence, firmness of structure, and moderate alcohol that makes it a great food pairing wine. Drink this easy to enjoy wine with almost anything-from any home made pasta dish and a wide variety of cheeses, to roasted fowl, barbecued ribs and pot roast.
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Sanchietti Vineyard Pinot Noir
What sets the 2002 Sanchietti Pinot apart is its combination of power and grace. In the nose, it jumps out of the glass with aromas of blueberries, blackberries and lilac. The vibrant floral bouquet gives way to supple power in the mouth. Black cherries overlay the berry fruit, and all is enveloped in impressively soft, sweet tannins. With its moderate alcohol, the wine finishes brightly, with graceful berry fruit and spicy overtones. This wine is truly versatile with food, enhancing anything from fresh salmon or swordfish, to robust meat and game dishes like filet minion, lamb or quail. Only 136 cases produced. 93 points, Wine & Spirits; 92 points, Wine Country Living; 90 points, Wine Enthusiast.
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