Dutton-Goldfield Dutton Ranch Chardonnay 2011

In the nose, it leads with lemon curd, buttercream, and a touch of tangerine—fantastic concentration and focus. The mouth is refreshing and luscious at the same time. Meyer lemon, a hint of toffee, and mandarin orange fill out the middle, while the creamy tropical overtones round out the edges. The finish combines fresh citrus, sweet buttercream, bright acidity, and a cleansing minerality that leaves you wanting more. This really is the perfect pairing wine, suiting everything from light appetizers and sushi to pasta in cream sauce and pork. Or, nothing at all.

Dutton-Goldfield Winery is a partnership of friends, colleagues, neighbors, and families. It began with a handshake 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 table. Steve Dutton is a fifth-generation farmer whose father first planted grapes in 1967, the same year that he was born. He now manages many of the finest vineyards in the Russian River Valley—over eighty unique, separate vineyards. Dan Goldfield, a winemaker, has been crafting expressive wines from the region since the 1980s. Together with their families, they are committed to offering wines of exquisite quality from their unique and beautiful part of the world. Dutton Ranch Chardonnay is a combination of focus and opulence, plush fruit, and steely minerality— containing crystalline citrus fruit and freshness so quintessential to the Russian River Valley.