Dutton-Goldfield www.duttongoldfield.com
3100 Gravenstein Hwy, Sebastopol, CA 95472.
(707) 827-3600
A joint venture between winemaker, Dan Goldfield, and viticulturalist Steve Dutton, following in the footsteps of his father Warren. Founded in 1998, the winery's mainstays are Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah. Grapes are sourced from vineyards in the Russian River Valley and Green Valley, mostly. Annual production is 7,000 cases, 95% coming from Dutton's vineyards.The tasting room has a curved bar with an open feel that's casual chic, with soulful blues (Robert Cray), swing revival (Brian Setzer Orchestra) and jazzy rock (Sons of Champlin) playing in the background while we were there. David was our upbeat pourer, who was particularly knowledgeable about both the wines and the music.
90 2010 Dutton-Goldfield Shop Block Pinot Blanc (Green Valley) $25
Overall: Green apples, excellent acidity and ripe yellow apple underneath. Citrus comes on in the long finish. Drinks like a Pinot Blanc version of a top notch New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc. Great with white fish.88 2009 Dutton-Goldfield Dutton Ranch Chardonnay (Russian River Valley) $35
Overall: Buttery pear and tart apple with a little cedar. Solid middleweight with very good fruit and acidity. Has some minerality, but could use more. Finish is a little short.86 2008 Dutton-Goldfield Dutton Ranch Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley) $38
Overall: Solid middleweight with good black cherry fruit, some sticks and a little lavender. Turns citrusy in the flavor and finish, needing more black cherry fruit and complexity to meet.87 2008 Dutton-Goldfield Devil's Gulch Pinot Noir (Russian River Valley) $58
Overall: Deeper black cherry color than the last with excellent black cherry fruit. Has good acidity, but could still use more structure. Tart citrus comes on in the finish, similar to last, but this handles it better with the extra fruit. Could improve in the next few years.88 2008 Dutton-Goldfield Cherry Ridge Vineyard Syrah (Green Valley) $35
Overall: Tart black cherry fruit with some leather. Has excellent acidity and very good fruit, but could use more tannin and depth. Very good food wine.Final Thoughts: All of these wines show the bright acidity and leaner fruit of the Russian River Valley, but lack structure and complexity. The Pinot Noirs are not my style, based on the above sampling, being too tart. And I'm a big red Burgundy fan, so go figure. The other wines are very good, but relatively simple in comparison to the Dehlinger wines. The one exception here is the Pinot Blanc, which is very fresh and lively with intensity.
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