Sonoma-Cutrer has launched Dutton Ranch Chardonnay, part of its annual Winemaker’s Release series. This collection of wines showcase the brand’s commitment to artisan craftsmanship and showcases their production practices.
Known for chardonnay fruit, Dutton Ranch has been a long-time grower partner of Sonoma-Cutrer. When planning for this year’s Winemaker’s Release, the winery invited Dutton Ranch to be the first designated grower vineyard to be featured in the series. Members of the Dutton family have been working the land in Sonoma County since the 1880s, and today, the family farms approximately 1,200 acres of sustainable wine grapes in the Russian River Valley, Green Valley, and Sonoma Coast appellations.
“For this year’s Winemaker’s Release, we wanted to celebrate one of our favorite Russian River Valley growers,” said Director of Winemaking Cara Morrison. “Six generations of Duttons have been growing high-quality fruit in Sonoma County for nearly 60 years and Sonoma-Cutrer has been partnering with them for nearly 20 years. We hope you enjoy the wine as much as we enjoyed making it!”
To create this wine, chardonnay grapes were harvested in late September from two Dutton Russian River Valley Vineyards – Gerboth and Alpers. After hand-sorting, the grapes were whole-cluster pressed to avoid bitter tannins from the skins and grape seeds. The juice was sent directly to French barrels for fermentation, then aged sur-lies in French oak that were exclusively procured by Sonoma-Cutrer’s forester from the Orleans region of France.
Vibrant and aromatic on the nose, the wine offers aromas of lightly baked apple, pie crust, melon, nectarine, clove, oak spice, and toasted sourdough bread with butter. Rich flavors of peach, oak spice, and baked apple appear features on the palate. It is an elegantly structured wine with citrus-laced acidity and a lengthy, toasty oak finish.
Bottled at 14.2% ABV, Sonoma-Cutrer Winemaker’s Release Dutton Ranch Chardonnay is available for $39.99. The wines will be available at select retail locations as well as direct from the winery’s website.
