Anderson Valley &
Mendocino
Angel Camp Vineyard
A great winemaking pleasure is tasting the character of the land from places of great beauty and emotional attachment. Such is certainly the case with our single vineyard offering from Anderson Valley. Angel Camp Vineyard is owned by Dan’s good friend Brian Zalaznick, who planted this 10-acre beauty in memory of his brother and family. It’s located west of Philo on a scenic knoll above the Navarro River and overlooking the valley. This cool neighborhood, combined with the gravelly slope of the site, excellent farming, and good karma of the owner make it wonderful for nurturing classic Anderson Valley Pinot: deep, plummy fruit and a voluptuousness that comes with well-ripened tannins. Brian planted the vineyard to an assortment (dare we say hodgepodge) of Dijon and heritage clones that combine to impart nuance and depth to the wine, and as the vineyard matures it’s getting even better. For our wine, we harvested Pommard for its richness, 828 for its bright fruit, and 667 for its concentration and focus. It’s a pleasure to work with fruit from a truly beautiful site, grown by a great character.
Wine from this site: Angel Camp Vineyard Pinot Noir
Docker Hill Vineyard
As anyone who knows Dutton-Goldfield knows, we love out-there vineyards. Sites outside the norm almost always mean both the fruit and the grower have personalities we want to get to know. So, when a friend told us about Docker Hill Vineyard, a site on a mountain above Comptche, southeast of the town of Mendocino, we had to check it out. The owners, Bill and Karson Aubuchon, planted the vineyard in 2010 to an assortment of Dijon and Heritage clones. For our inaugural bottling, we received fruit from the 828, Swan and Pommard blocks. The vineyard sits at about 1,000 feet, keeping it generally above the fog line. The elevation gives the vineyard a longer, warmer day than its neighbors to the west or at lower elevations, but significantly cooler than the Sonoma Coast. This climate provides us a wine with a weighty body, full of richness, yet still fine—Dan thinks of the character of this wine as combining the silkiness of Green Valley with the heft of the Sonoma Coast.
Wine from this site: Docker Hill Vineyard Pinot Noir