Dutton-Goldfield - ‘Dutton Ranch’ Pinot Noir, Sonoma County, USA (2022)

TASTING NOTES

Aromas of dark bramble and plum, with rose petals and a hint of black tea leaves lingering in the background. Nuanced French oak provides Christmas spice to the ever-present boysenberry and cherry, while the finish is earthy and chocolate on the finish.

Dutton-Goldfield Winery began with a handshake in a vineyard in 1998, when long-time colleagues and friends Steve Dutton and Dan Goldfield recognized a shared vision between them: to craft world-class wines that express the personalities of their cool-climate vineyards within the Russian River Valley and along the Northern California coastline— crisp, well-structured wines that display complexity, balance, and intensity, inspired by Burgundy but with a desire to express their Californian roots. Together they make a range of stunning wines, with a focus on exceptional pinot noir and chardonnay.

It all starts with the ‘Dutton Ranch’. But this is no ordinary ranch. In fact, it is a collection of over 60 non-contiguous parcels of land located in the Russian River valley comprising approx. 1,300 acres of land, 1,150 of which are given over to grape growing. The ‘ranch’ was started in 1964 by Steve’s dad, fourth-generation farmer Warren Dutton, and grape growing has been a way of life for the family ever since. The ‘ranch’ is certified sustainable under Sonoma County’s landmark programs and provides the backbone of the fruit for not only their own label but also for several prominent wineries such as Kistler, Freestone, Hartford-Court, Ramey and many more. A true testament to the calibre of the vineyard operations. The introductory wines that carry the ‘Dutton Ranch’ moniker are selected from this myriad of vineyard blocks, each block being fermented separately to maintain its typicity and to provide the winery with the most flexibility when time comes to putting together these outstanding blends.

In this area of Sonoma County, it is the interplay between the cold marine air coming off the Pacific, the coastal hills that partially block this air, the proximity to the ocean, the elevation of the vineyard with respect to the marine layer and its aspect to the sun and prevailing winds that all contribute to the ‘terroir’ of the individual vineyard sites. Steve and Dan have carefully separated some unique single vineyard sites situated across the region for specific bottlings to compliment their ‘Dutton Ranch’ wines. Allocations of these unique sites are sparse and mostly sold at the winery.

• In Green Valley of Russian River Valley AVA there are 5 single vineyards: Emerald Ridge Vineyard & Fox Den Vineyard for pinot noir, Rued Vineyard & Walker Hill Vineyard for chardonnay, and Shop Block Vineyard for pinot blanc.
• In Russian River Valley AVA there are 2 single vineyards: Cherry Ridge Vineyard for syrah, and Morelli Lane Vineyard where a single vineyard zinfandel is made from but also stunning pinot noir and chardonnay that are part of the Dutton Ranch blends.
• In Marin County & Petaluma Gap there are also 5 single vineyards: Azaya Ranch Vineyard for pinot noir, Chileno Valley Vineyard for riesling & Devil’s Gulch Vineyard for pinot noir, chardonnay and gewûrztraminer.
• In Sonoma Coast, Sonoma Mountain & Fort Ross-Seaview area there are 3 single vineyards, all given over to pinot noir: McDougall Vineyard, Redwood Ridge Vineyard, and Van de Kamp Vineyard. Additionally, Deviate is a pinot noir that combines two unique sites in the Sonoma Coast and Russian River Valley.
• In Anderson Valley & Mendocino there are 2 single vineyards, again both given over to pinot noir: Angel Camp Vineyard & Docker Hill Vineyard.

This is unequivocally cool-climate winegrowing territory. The quality of these stunning wines are very competitively priced. Dan is an almost perennial appearance on Wine & Spirit's Top 100 Wineries of the World. In a recent article (April 2022) in the Chicago Wine Press, Peter Hoyne wrote:

‘To define a world-class pinot noir, you need to examine certain criteria and truly understand what the French refer to as terroir.’

The huge array of vineyards, the meticulous way that Steve and Dan understand each site, the individual vinification of each block and the care and attention that goes into each bottling speaks volumes to this quote. Truly masters of their art.