2015 Dutton-Goldfield Chardonnay Dutton Ranch Rued Vineyard Russian River Valley 750 ml

The Russian River’s Secret Chardonnay Vineyard

Today’s 94-point “Editors’ Choice” 2015 Dutton-Goldfield Chardonnay from the Rued Vineyard is for those who lean toward a rich, ripe California Chardonnay.  

The best California Chardonnay producers—David Ramey, Lee Hudson, Steve Kistler, and Dan Goldfield—will tell you that the secret to crafting world-class Chardonnay (the kind you just can’t put down), is the vineyard source. Today’s Chardonnay comes from one of the Russian River’s most priceless sites, making this a wine we literally couldn’t put down. The site is winegrower Steve Dutton’s hidden gem in Sonoma and the Green Valley: the Rued Vineyard. The parcels are dry-farmed and planted with deep-rooted old clones, lending this Chardonnay its ripe lemon-citrus opulence, buffered by firm acidity, enticing floral aromas and ripe, tropical fruit purity.

The 2015 growing season in Northern California yielded a phenomenally powerful and complex Dutton-Goldfield Chardonnay of Grand Cru quality. The only problem? It hails from a historically low-yielding harvest, which saw production down 30 to 50 percent in some areas. Due to the season’s severely trimmed crop, there are just 85 cases set aside for Wine Access. 

Each lot brought into the winery was entirely barrel-fermented in fine French Taransaud barrels, which lends structure and a rich mouthfeel, along with Seguin Moreau Premium barrels, adding ginger spice, and Fouquet barrels, for lift. After 15 months of aging, this Rued Vineyard Chardonnay *is* one of the most scintillating Russian River Chardonnays we’ve tasted from Dan yet.