The 2017 Dutton Ranch Chardonnay delivers aromas of ginger, guava and Crème brûlée with toasted almond, and toffee-brown sugar. Dense, and full bodied, there’s a pleasingly crisp and mouthwatering green apple note on the palate that melds with dried apricot, tangerine flavors along with a hint of toasted oak. The wine finishes dry with fresh acidity and a touch of lemon zest and candied ginger. 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.? This is a tightly wound and intense wine that shows its youth, a study in concentrated Gravenstein apple, salt and stone. A floral underbelly of apple and orange blossom brightens the palate and grippy structure. Let this wine open slowly in the glass. Producer Information Patz & Hall is a Sonoma-based wine producer, specializing in the production of small-lot Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from single vineyards around California. The collection is sourced from more than 30 different vineyards in Napa Valley, Carneros, Russian River Valley, Mendocino County, Sonoma Coast and Santa Lucia Highlands. The estate was established in 1988 by James Hall, Anne Moses, and Donald and Heather Patz. Collectively, they established contracts with growers around northern California to create a full portfolio of site specific wines. In the vineyard, grapes are hand-picked to preserve phenolics and prevent excess oxidation. Fermentation takes place in both stainless steel and French oak barrels. Patz & Hall has a unique stave wood program where it dries, seasons, and ages its own Burgundian oak staves for three years before the barrels are coopered, around 18 months longer than normal. The percentage of new oak the winery uses on each wine varies between 50 and 70 percent. In 2016, Patz & Hall was purchased by Chateau Ste. Michelle of which in turn was purchased by Sycamore Partners Managment in 2021. A total of around 20,000 cases of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are produced annually.
