~ October 2002 ~

It's Harvest Time in Sonoma...
Harvest started in September and continues through this month. It's been a light year for Pinot, with an average of less than 2 tons per acre of great, intensely flavored fruit. We're honing our harvest skills every year, resulting in some vineyards, like our Freestone Hill vineyard, being picked four different times during the season (much to Steve's dismay) so we capture each block at optimal ripeness. Bike rides have had to be curtailed for the month (as far as we know), but Dan did manage to stop for a picture for the San Francisco Chronicle just before harvest (keep reading below for more on that...).

Meet our New Addition...
Just before bottling, we added Jeff Mangahas to the Dutton-Goldfield family. Jeff's a microbiologist (undergrad degree from U of Washington) who recently graduated from Davis with his Masters in Enology. As our enologist, and he's running all the day-to-day operations in the cellar, taking care of the wine and keeping Dan sane and smiling during the crazy times of harvest. We're thrilled to have him on board, and look forward to introducing you next time you visit us. (Jeff, on the right, with Joe and Terri, some of our friends from Martini & Prati.)

Press Kits and Shelf Talkers are Out and About
Thanks for the positive feedback on the press kits and shelf talkers. If you didn't receive yours, or if you need any additional supplies of either, please let us know. You can reach Valerie at valerie@duttongoldfield.com or (707)823-3887.

More on Harvest
Here are a few more shots from harvest: Picking at Green Valley Vineyard; Maurice Galante Vineyard grapes go into the tank; Jeff adjusts the tank temperature for the cold soak.

Events
Coming up on Wednesday, November 13 is the Family Winemakers of California Tasting 2002 in San Francisco. The event is open to public as well as the media and trade, and there's no charge for pre-registered attendees. For more information, call (415)721-2666 or go to www.familywinemakers.org.

Wine News and Press
We were excited to open our local San Francisco Chronicle Magazine on September 29 and see Dan's smiling face (astride his bike) on the table of contents page, introducing their Top Wines of 2002 issue. Dan was selected as one of the 5 "Winemakers to Watch" and our 2000 Dutton Ranch Pinot Noir was chosen as one of the top 100 wines of the year.

Dan felt the wine was in especially good company, since 3 of the 5 Sonoma County Pinot Noirs on the list shared Dan's winemaking history (La Crema, Hartford Court and Dutton-Goldfield).

The 2000 Dutton Ranch Pinot Noir was described as "deep ruby color; forward black cherry and spice nose; lush flavors, excellent balance and length."

The article is available for download on our website (along with all other recent press). Just go to www.duttongoldfield.com, then choose Making Contact and For the Trade. Or, if you just want that one article now, click here.

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As we told you last month, the 2000 Devil's Gulch Ranch Pinot Noir is released as of October. This incredible vineyard is planted on a steep, winding hillside in western Marin County. While you can't appreciate it quite as much when you're not tipping forward on the 45-degree slope, the photo taken during harvest the other day at least gives you a little perspective.

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Next out on the new release front is our 2000 Freestone Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir. Two words: opulence and spice. The wine is officially available November 1, so call or fax us now to take delivery before the holiday season heats up.