2017 Chardonnay Dutton Ranch
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Tasting notes
Scented of gunflint, toast and petrichor to begin, the 2017 Chardonnay Dutton Ranch, grown in Goldridge soils, fleshes out slowly to savory notions of baked apple, pie crust, spring honey, lemon curd, dried leaves and quince peel. Medium-bodied, rounded and textured with savory layers, it's lifted by juicy acidity and finishes long. I suspect this needs more time in bottle to flesh out and give all it's got.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jeb Dunnuck
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
I loved the 2017 Chardonnay Dutton Ranch. This Russian River site has turned out a textbook Chardonnay that offers tons of stone and orchard fruits, white flowers, and a kiss of salty minerality. It’s beautifully balanced on the palate, has high yet integrated acidity, a terrific sense of elegance, and is another release from this team that’s impossible to fault. As with most of these releases, I suspect a year of bottle age will do it well.
A highlight in this lineup, the 2017 Chardonnay Dutton Ranch is such an intriguing wine because of the way it is airy and lifted and yet also so deep in feel. Citrus peel, white flowers, mint and white pepper add striking aromatic top notes to this brilliant, vertically built Chardonnay. In 2017, the Dutton Ranch is all class. It is also one of my personal favorites.
About the producer
Kistler’s Chardonnays are some of the world’s most sought-after. This cult Californian producer crafts small volumes of exceptional, rich and generous, yet mineral and precise wines. With almost the entire production sold directly to their mailing list, the wines are also incredibly hard to find.