Reviews & Ratings
2011 Dutton Goldfield Pinot Noir "Azaya Ranch"
Winery: Dutton Goldfield
Vintage: 2011
Wine Name/Vineyard: "Azaya Ranch"
Wine Category: Pinot Noir
Grape blend: 100% Pinot Noir
Bottle size: 750 ml
Region: Marin County
State or country: CA
Price: $58
Cases produced: 219
KWG Score: 90.2 (based on 4 reviews)
Ken's Wine Rating: Very Good+ (91)
Review date: April 19, 2014
Wine Review: This light red colored Pinot Noir from Marin County was a top finisher in our first Big Blind tasting. It opens with a mild strawberry bouquet with a hint of pine sap. On the palate, this wine is medium bodied, balanced and very approachable. The flavor profile is a tasty mild red currant with hints of plum and strawberry. The finish is dry and its flavors fade away nicely. This Pinot is very food friendly and elegant. The panel suggested pairing it with veal Milanese or a grilled salmon burger. Enjoy - KWGTP
Winemaker Notes: One of the interesting and nerdy pleasures of winemaking is appreciating how each vintage elicits different aspects of a particular vineyard’s personality. The cooler and more extreme a vineyard site, the greater these variations tend to be. At the already cool Marin County location of Azaya Ranch Vineyard, the incessantly cold 2011 vintage beautifully brought out the floral aromatics and focused red fruit that always show in this wine. We love how Azaya so epitomizes Marin County Pinot for us: vivid berry fruit carried by fresh acidity and silky tannins. In the glass, the brilliant ruby color foreshadows the wine's fresh fruit and bright acidity (color is always more vibrant at lower pH), and the cranberry, strawberry, red licorice and spicy overtones in the nose promises the ebullience of fruit that’s delivered in the mouth. With a bit of time in the glass, that mouth shows candied cranberry and fresh strawberry fruit, carried by elegantly silky tannins and tones of toffee and sour cherry. The clean berry finish always leaves you wanting another sip, or maybe a bite of some fresh local Bodega Bay salmon.
Buy it: Use 1000 Corks to find stores that sell Dutton Goldfield 2011 Azaya Ranch Pinot Noir.
