Dutton-Goldfield Dutton Ranch Pinot Noir 2019

One of the very best American wine partnerships is one that has been in place since the 1990s. I’m talking Dan Goldfield and Steve Dutton. Together, Dutton Goldfield has made Sonoma Coast and Russian River bottlings that absolutely rival the very best: Kistler, Hirsch and Ramey, but they do so for about half the price.

Steve farms over eighty(!) unique vineyard sites across the Russian River Valley, primarily in the Green Valley appellation at Dutton Ranch, the home vineyard. Dan Goldfield is the small-production Pinot Noir obsessed winemaker who cut his teeth at Mondavi and Schramsberg before starting this partnership.

For the last 25+ years, their calling card wines have been the estate bottlings from Dutton Ranch. People go nuts for these wines – most of the bottles never make it out of the winery as evident by the fact that I’ve never been able to offer this Pinot up and only once or twice got the Chard. Both the wines are perennial powerhouses with big scores attached, and in the fantastic and cool 2019 vintage, that excellence was on full display.