~ March 2003 ~

Greetings from Squaw Valley!
Okay, okay, the picture's a fake...but Dan and Loie really did meet up with our good friends Jeff Coyle (from Oklahoma) and Keith Paden (from Kansas) and their wives, and had a fabulous time skiing the slopes of Squaw by day, and wining and dining the night away. Only no one brought a camera (we're thinking they didn't want any evidence of their escapades), so we're forced to ad-lib. Days afterward, Dan was still doing air-skiing in the office with a dreamy look in his eyes, and Jeff was asking, "I promised what?!?"

We're Getting A New Look!
The 2001 Morelli Lane Zinfandel is scheduled to be released later this spring, and we're excited not only with what's in the bottle, but what's outside as well. Beginning with the 2001 vintage, we're pleased to introduce our new look:

Our goal was to clean up the whole package and make it more elegant, so we started with some darker and heavier glass, then simplified the label with a plain off-white background and black and platinum border. Centered at the top is our logo, embossed in black foil, followed by the varietal, vineyard and appellation in black type with platinum accents. To top it all off, we've added a black capsule with 'DG" embossed in platinum.

To differentiate the single-vineyard designate wines, we created a special icon with a drawing of a vineyard, and placed it in a circle at the bottom of the label. The Dutton Ranch blend wines (Chardonnay and Pinot Noir) have a rectangular label without the additional circle.

We hope the overall finished product is a more memorable and compelling package, and appreciate any feedback you'd care to pass along. Look for the new bottles with the 2001 vintage, which will start to be released in the coming months.

In The Vineyards
We had some incredible weather this winter (it felt like spring most of the time), so as a result, budbreak happened about a week earlier than usual this year. While spring has now officially sprung according to the calendar, it's more important than ever to pay close attention to the vineyards during this time, as we can get unexpected cold snaps well into the season, and "spring" nights can often feel (and read) much more like winter.

For Steve and his crews, this means that frost protection is the main focus of their jobs right now. While it may seem odd to be watering the vineyards heavily on some of these cold mornings, the layer of ice that forms over the vines actually prevents them from freezing by providing them a protective layer that keeps the temperature from dropping below 32 degrees.

Wine News and Reviews
The 2000 Dutton Ranch Pinot Noir has been showing exceptionally well lately, so we were delighted when it received these recent mentions:

Sunset Magazine included it in their March cheese article, recommending it as a match with the Bandage-Wrapped Cheddar from Fiscalini Cheese Company for its "lush, earthy tones that complement the cheese".

Connoisseurs' Guide to California Wine's November 2002 issue gave the 2000 Dutton Ranch Pinot Noir 90 points, saying "This one has bright, almost sappy cherry-like aromas and comes with vanilla extract, minerally and hardwood complexing notes. Medium-full in body and somewhat open in feel at entry, then firmer towards the back, this one can grow in stature as the years go by."

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Our 2000 Cherry Ridge Vineyard Syrah (the first Syrah for Dutton-Goldfield) has been released to great reviews, and is practically gone already (sorry! But we promise we've made more of the 2002). Since its release in November, it's received several warm welcomes:

From the February 2003 Wine Enthusiast: "From Green Valley, this vigorous Syrah shows distinct cool-climate character in its white pepper, blackberry and smoky oak aromas. Rich and full-bodied, it's firmly tannic but smooth and velvety. Delicious now, and will age well through at least 2007. 92 points."

April 2003 Wine & Spirits: "Like a walk in the Russian River Valley woods, this gives the scent of Gravensteins and bass notes of fragrant syrah. It's cool and gentle, the chalky tannins covered in fresh, clean raspberry flavors at the end. Balanced for age; ready to enjoy tonight with quail smothered in chanterelles. 91 points."

Events
Dan is at the World of Pinot Noir in Shell Beach, California, this weekend, participating on a panel on filtered vs. unfiltered, as well as joining in the rest of the weekend's activities. Stop by and say hello if you're there.

He must be getting quite a reputation for his presentations, because he's been invited to participate in some other upcoming events: on May 17, he'll be one of the featured winemakers at "A Culinary Evening with the California Winemasters" at the Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood. The event benefits Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, and expects a sold-out crowd of 1,200 guests. Then in July, he's off to Hawaii for the 22nd Annual Kapalua Wine & Food Festival, where the Russian River Valley will be a focus of the event. In addition to a separate tent for the appellation, there will be some focused seminars on the wines of the area. We'll give you more details as the event gets closer, but you can mark your calendars now for July 10-14.