The 2018 Dutton Ranch Chardonnay is quintessential Russian River Valley. The wine opens with toasted almond, butter cookie and nutmeg aromas. Bone-dry and inviting, the palate is filled with Meyer lemon, passionfruit and orange blossom flavors. There’s a compelling lushness to the mid-palate that leads to a nice mineral quality on the finish. Once again, Dutton Ranch has delivered a wonderfully age-worthy wine that captures the charm and complexity of some of Sonoma County’s oldest Chardonnay vines.

The 2018 offering is a collection of fourteen single-vineyard quality sites that could all be bottled on their own including; Dutton Ranch, Sanchietti Vineyard, Gap’s Crown Vineyard, Zio Tony Ranch and Durell Vineyard. The wine has inviting aromas of spicy pear, lemon drop and lime zest. As a cool-climate Chardonnay, there’s a nice tartness on the palate giving the wine great poise, balance and energy. A pretty floral note adds a layer of complexity and melds with the peach nectar and apple flavors on the long finish.

Rich and inviting, this wine’s aromas open with black cherry, strawberry, black pepper and dark chocolate. Notes of blackberry and plum weave on the palate and meld with hints of fennel and something evocative of salty ocean spray. The wine is deep, dense and full-bodied.

This wine is supple and dense, with layers of red and blue fruits and clove spice. The tannins are broad, mouth-coating and resolved, creating a rich and creamy mid-palate with a long and detailed finish that keeps the flavors pumping.

Shockingly low yields are essential to achieving proper ripeness in this very cool vineyard. Complex and inviting aromas of caramel candy/toffee, cardamom and licorice spice fold into dried strawberry, red cherry and mocha notes. The 2017 bottling shows richer texture and riper fruit than some years yet retains the savory notes of forest floor and lavender/rosemary that is typical of this vineyard.

Year after year, this lovingly cultivated vineyard continues to evolve, yielding evermore complex wines. This site produces wines with a rare combination of savory and fruity aromas and flavors, a trait often associated with the finest Pinot Noirs. 2018 is showing more red fruits, such as cherry and cranberry alongside the typically, earthy/savory profile of Moses-Hall. The palate is juicy, and fresh with excellent, fine grained tannins that fan out and build richness to a very long and persistent finish.

This young vineyard, planted in 2012, is improving every year as it enters “adolescence.” The 2018 shows intense and energetic aromas of dried cherry, crushed mint and carnation flower. Taut, nervy and mouthwatering, the fine-grained textures expand across the palate, gaining depth and persistence as the refreshing acidity brings the finish to a juicy resolution. This wine has an astonishing ability to be fruity, savory, very full flavored, yet light and ethereal.

Pure, fragrant aromas of green apple and orange blossom frame this delicious wine as a classic Russian River Chardonnay. Ripe Bartlett pear, apricot and floral notes meld with preserved orange peel and spice notes on the palate. The wine is delicate and elegant and stays light on the palate with mouth-watering acidity.

Fragrant and aromatic, this lively Chardonnay pops with high-tone notes of ruby red grapefruit, honeysuckle, Muscat and fresh tropical fruits. These juicy flavors carry over onto the palate with pineapple and mango-guava flavors. The fruit is supported by great acidity and length.

Generous aromas of cinnamon, five spice powder, dried cranberry and licorice and damp forest floor leap from the glass. Dark chocolate, fresh lavender and cedar introduce supple, rich tannins that make for an exceptionally full, mouth filling, wine while maintaining a sleek purity. The 2018 will reward patient cellar aging, though, this wine’s immense charm will make it hard to resist.

This 2018 offering is fresh and complex with layers of mango, guava and pear. Dried white flowers intertwine with candied citrus and ginger notes that gyrate from the glass, backed by spicy clove and toasted candied almond. Creamy and rich, this very complex wine maintains a delicate and energetic flow on the palate, driven by lovely high-mountain acidity that adds poise and freshness to the densely-packed flavors and long finish. This is a very fine Alder Springs Chardonnay that will reward the patient collector.

2018 shows a spicy, lifted nose with pine forest, shaved fennel bulb, ripe pear, dried apricot and bees wax aromas. Crisp, mineral flavors surround a dense core of juicy pineapple, peach, toasted nuts and clove.

Open and generous on the nose with aromas of licorice, fennel and ripe fruit that carry over onto the palate with a sense of richness and density. The wine finishes with a detailed and complex weave of dried cherry, cranberry and cinnamon.