2006 Dutton-Goldfield Chardonnay Dutton Ranch Rued Vineyard

Sommelier Journal

• By Randy Caparoso
  November 2009, (See more on Sommelier Journal...)

  (Dutton-Goldfield Chardonnay Rued Vineyard, Russian River Valley) When is the last time you’ve been moved by a California Chardonnay? The Rued ranch, originally planted on a cooler-climate site by Warren Dutton in 1969, is the major source of the denser-skinned, smaller-cluster-and-berry clonal mix known as Old Wente (yielding Chardonnay Musqué, now called the Rued clone). The combination of a long, cool vintage and impeccable lineage has resulted in a wine of mountainous proportions, with an opulent viscosity charged by electric acidity and a slightly tannic grip (from high skin-to-juice ratios) that does indeed recall classic Burgundian crus in density and promise (the ’01 Rued, for example, is only now coming into its own). In relative youth, however, the nose is all-American: huge, pungent peach mixed with orange blossom and undertones of licorice, lilac, and vanilla. Hot Picks