~ August 2003 ~

Pinot Forum 2003!
We just finished up two fantastic days focused on Russian River Valley Pinot Noir at our appellation's first ever Pinot Forum. Nineteen wineries hosted sixty sommeliers and wine buyers from across the country for two days featuring educational seminars on terroir and growing seasons, vineyard workshops, sub-appellation and retrospective tasting panels, a special reserve Pinot Noir tasting, a 10-course dinner with the winemakers serving as sommeliers, and, of course, the memorable and rolicking "Bacchanalia", a.k.a. toga party (those smart enough to bring cameras to the party are guaranteed a steady income for life). We'll be in touch with you about the attendees from your area who joined us for the event.

Russian River Valley/Green Valley
One of the topics at the Pinot Forum was the emerging sub-appellations of the Russian River Valley. The Russian River Valley appellation was established in 1983, based on the vineyards that were then planted and planned for the area. As we've learned from experimentation with clonal selection here, many more areas have been planted to grapes than thought possible 20 years ago, so a petition has been filed with the government to adjust the current boundaries and realign the area to match the fog line, the appellation's most defining feature.

Over the years of growing grapes and making wine in the Russian River, several sub-appellations have come to be recognized by winemakers to further differentiate the diverse regions within it. Maybe you've heard some of these regions referred to by us or other wineries who focus on these particular spots: Middle Reach, Laguna Ridge, Santa Rosa Plains, Sebastopol Hills and Green Valley.

For Dutton-Goldfield, Green Valley is the sub-appellation we grow the majority of our grapes in. You may have noticed on our technical sheets for the Dutton Ranch Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, as well as a few of the single-vineyard wines, that we say "Russian River Valley-Green Valley". We also show both Russian River Valley and Green Valley on our vineyard map, since Green Valley is an important area to us. Green Valley is the coldest part of the appellation, due to the two main transits for the cold marine air to flow in--the Russian River itself in the north, and the Petaluma Wind Gap in the south. These conduits funnel the ocean influence right in, with morning fog settling on the valley floor (often until lunchtime), then rolling back in late in the afternoon. For our Chardonnay, we like these coldest spots (and the oldest clones); for Pinot and Zinfandel, higher elevations provide a warmer environment by getting you above the fog layer.

Our Door's Always Open--Come Visit Us
We've had a nice flurry of visitors lately, who we've been happy to entertain. From distributors and their sales people to restaurant folks from around the country (Jose from Jean Georges in New York is with Dan at our Morelli Lane vineyard, below) to visitors from Japan, we've had quite a busy summer. Once the harvest settles down, we'd be happy to entertain you or your customers, so give us a call if you or they are planning to be in the area.

New Releases
It's the season for new releases, and we have a few that were just released, and one coming up to tell you about:

2001 Morelli Lane Vineyard Zinfandel
Yes, it's finally here...our 2001 Zin from the tiny one-and-a-half acre, 120-year-old vineyard is released. Our 2001 vintage offering displays a level of silkiness and elegance rare to Zinfandel, while still bursting with the crystalline fruit so central to the varietal's charm. Bright raspberry, blackberry and caramel on the nose give way to enticingly fine grain tannins and creamy bright raspberry on the palate. It finishes with the candied berry fruits and subtle spice so central to its venerable nature. This is a Zin that's wonderfully easy to drink and, with its moderate alcohol, is a great pairing with many foods. Available now.

2001 Dutton Ranch Chardonnay
For our 2001 Dutton Ranch Chardonnay, we blended grapes from three of our favorite vineyards: Mill Station, Morelli Lane and Rued. The Mill Station grapes give the wine its lively citrus brightness and acid backbone. Morelli Lane (the same spot our Zinfandel comes from) contributes notes of stone fruit and pear. And Rued provides its exotic tropical and mineral overtones along with an extra bit of thickness. The resulting wine is our vision of a classic Russian River Valley Chardonnay--fruit intensity, great acid structure and richness even after full barrel and malolactic fermentation. Available now.

2001 Rued Vineyard Chardonnay
2001 was an extremely low yielding year for the Rued vineyard, as well as for Chardonnay in general in the Russian River Valley. The tiny clusters of the Rued clone produced a wine of particular density and aromatic intensity this year. The nose comes on with focused floral, pear and tropical fruit, along with candied caramel and mineral overtones. In the mouth its exceptional weight and viscosity is well balanced by its bright acidity. It's like candy for adults: rich, fresh and tropical, with a hint of mineral and kiwi/pear. The finish lingers with fresh pear fruit and lush overtones of toffee and caramel. Available September 2003.

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All of our 2001 wines are in our new packaging.