2011 DUTTON RANCH—GREEN VALLEY VINEYARD GEWÜRZTRAMINER GREEN VALLEY OF RUSSIAN RIVER VALLEY

APPELLATION THE VINEYARD Green Valley of When Steve Dutton told us in 2005 that he was going to bud 0.7 acres of the very cold Russian River Valley Green Valley Vineyard from Pinot Noir to Gewürztraminer, we were thrilled. No varietal is more suited and less planted in the cold nooks of the Green Valley appellation than Gewürztraminer. This varietal shines when it ripens slowly to attain the enticing floral VINEYARD aromatics denoted by an even pink color at harvest. With its super thick skins, it easily Dutton Ranch-Green Valley weathers difficult times of heat and rain, but requires our long season to give us the Vineyard ethereal aromatics and juicy freshness that we love in it. The Green Valley Vineyard, situated just along the cold east bank of Atascadero Creek, is a perfect site for this grape, ALCOHOL and the 2011 vintage was the best we’ve seen to bring out the unique character of this 13.8 % wonderful wine.

WINEMAKING TITRATABLE ACIDITY Our hedonistic goal in crafting this wine is to bring out the ebullient aromatics and 0.56 gm/100 ml cleansing minerality that Gewürztraminer expresses in the best sites. It has been said that aromatic varieties (like gewürtz and riesling) show site more than any other, and this pH offering might be an argument for that position. To this end, we ferment the wine in 3.53 stainless steel at a cool 50 degrees F and bottle after only 6 months. This retains the fresh esters of fermentation and the central core of fruit. We also employ an Alsatian yeast RS strain that enhances the floral aromatics that are the varietal signature of this wine. Dry Gewürztraminer is all about the vineyard fruit personality, and what a charming personality it is.

WINEMAKING THE WINE 100% Stainless Ferment The number of bottles of a wine drank by the winemaker while pretending to write a product sheet is a sure indication of how much he loves that wine. It’s a wonder that WINEMAKER there is any 2011 Gewürztraminer left for you. This wine is truly unique. With the Dan Goldfield incessantly cold 2011 summer and impending fall rains, we actually tried to rot the fruit to make a late harvest offering, but with its thick skins the Gewürtz refused to cooperate. What we did succeeded in doing was to lose half the crop (to Steve Dutton’s delight) and CASES PRODUCED develop dark pink colored and incredibly aromatic fruit with what was left. When we 90 picked on October 18, the juice was still at only 22 degrees brix, but the resulting wine is the most floral, spicy, ebullient wine we’ve ever made. In the nose, it’s a perfume of SUGGESTED RETAIL PRICE honeysuckle, jasmine and pear and just leaps out of the glass. In the mouth, the spice and $30 floral notes wrap around a concentrated core of pear and red grapefruit, all carried by juicy acidity and minerality into the enduring fresh finish. Though certainly a great pairing for almost any shellfish, or by itself on a sunny day, I have definitely learned that the 2011 GW is my favorite bathtub wine: start with it well chilled–great visual with the condensation–and let it warm up and open up as you do.

Dutton-Goldfield Winery began in a vineyard in 1998, when longtime colleagues and friends Steve Dutton and Dan Goldfield recognized a shared vision between them—to craft wines that express the personalities of their vineyards, and which they’d enjoy drinking at their own dinner tables. Our mission is to produce world-class wines that display the brightness of fruit, complexity, structure and balance that are reflective of our cool coastal home.

3100 Gravenstein Highway North, Sebastopol, CA 95472 ▪ (707) 823-3887 ▪ [email protected] www.duttongoldfield.com