Russian River Valley
Cherry Ridge Vineyard
Cherry Ridge juts out over the west side of Green Valley of Russian River Valley, on a south-facing hillside just north the Petaluma Wind Gap. It is both wonderfully scenic, and a great place to grow grapes. The proverbial "warm spot in a cold area" (because of its altitude and south face), Cherry Ridge is just temperate enough to ripen Syrah in a region best known for the cold-loving Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Syrah from this climate shows focused berry fruit, lots of spice, bright acidity, intense color and silky tannins. Just over five acres are planted here to four clones of Syrah.
Wine from this Vineyard: Cherry Ridge Vineyard Syrah
Freestone Hill Vineyard
The Freestone Hill Vineyard is farmed by the Dutton family. Located on a south-facing hillside overlooking the tiny town of Freestone, the vineyard lies just inside the southwest corner of the Russian River Valley AVA. The first Dutton-Goldfield Freestone Hill Pinot Noir came from the 1999 vintage. The wine throws a complex set of aromas leading with blackberry, violet and a coriander-like aroma we refer to as "Freestone Spice." The vineyard is planted to Dijon clones and is the epitome of what we expect from a cold-climate Pinot Noir vineyard. In years when the harvest gives us fruit that stands out as truly unique and different, we will bottle this wine separately as a one of our single-vineyard designate wines; in other years, it will be blended into our Dutton Ranch Pinot Noir to add that exotic spice component to the wine.
Wine from this Vineyard: Freestone Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir
Morelli Lane Vineyard
Morelli Lane is a vineyard planted to three distinctive varietals: Zinfandel, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. It lies just north of the town of Occidental in the Russian River Valley.
The ancient Zinfandel vines planted decades ago amounts to only 1.8 acres. It took a good bit of work by Steve Dutton and his crews to bring this vineyard back to life. But the effort is well worth the grapes it produces. The Morelli Lane grapes deliver deeply colored wine. The wine is lush and balanced from the moment it begins to ferment. Only a tiny amount of wine can be made from this vineyard.
The Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from Morelli Lane are integral components of our Dutton Ranch wines. The chardonnay from this site is full of stonefruit and pear flavors, while the old Swan clone Pinot Noir provides floral aromatics and juicy blackberry notes.
Wines made from this site: Morelli Lane Vineyard Zinfandel, Dutton Ranch Chardonnay, Dutton Ranch Pinot Noir