Dutch Bill Creek
2008 Dutch Bill Creek Chardonnay
Chardonnay •Heintz Ranch, Searby, Boriolo
Russian River Valley
Mission Briefing
In the DBC
Today’s 2008 Dutch Bill Creek Chardonnay, made by our dear friend at Heintz Ranch Winery, is an intriguing, complex, delicious and very approachable white wine. Perfect while the weather is still warm, we also recommend this wine for your holiday entertaining.
Rich and very flavorful, this is no wishy-washy Chardonnay. Rather, it bursts with bright fruit and dark earthy flavors. The wine possesses enough softness on the palate to give it a great overall balance. For all of the wines complexity, though, it is still very approachable. and very food-friendly.
Stock up, dear Operative, if you love fantastic, balanced, delicious Chardonnay!
Tasting Profile
| Look: | Medium yellow golden hues, from the center of the wine, out to the edge of the glass. After swirling, the wine settles quite quickly, leaving behind short columns of chubby legs that move very slowly down the glass. |
|---|---|
| Smell: | Fragrant and full on the nose, with tropical fruit, flowers, spice and sweetwood. Sweet pineapple, guava, lychee and soft pear. As the wine warms, slightly, it begins to reveal citrus, peach, toasty caramel and white flower petals. |
| Taste: | Delicious and complex with layers of fruit, flowers and a flinty minerals. Sweet pineapple, citrus, toasty sweetwood and dried apricot take the lead. These are quickly followed by Anjou pear, creamed honey, white flowers, subtle white spice and a hint of graphite. |
| Finish: | Long, complex and very flavorful, with layers of sweet fruit yielding to darker fruit, dried flowers, subtlest spice and graphite. Gradually, a flint-rich dryness spreads all around the palate, puckering the lips and cheeks. |
| Pairing: |
What the Winery Says
Tasting Notes
Blending three old vine vineyards from different corners of the appellation gives this wine a depth an complexity not only from the soil and vines but also from the varied climates. The aromatics jump out of the glass with the range of a fruit basket. Pears, stone fruit, apples and lemons all make an appearance. Undertones of fresh bread, oak and almonds work to hold everything together. Bright acidity balances this wine and ensures it place on the dinner table.
Appellation
Russian River Valley
Vineyards
(1/3 each Heintz Ranch/Searby/Boriolo Vineyards)
Varietal
Chardonnay
Alcohol
14.3%
Cases Produced
580
About the Winery
Heintz Ranch has been family-owned since 1912. Our coastal vineyard is located in the cool climate of the Sonoma Coast/Russian River Valley/Green Valley growing region where the highly sought-after Heintz Ranch Grapes are grown and cared for by Charles Heintz himself. Heintz Ranch grapes are featured in many of California’s finest wines including Flowers, Williams-Selyem, Littorai, Peay Vineyards, Radio Coteau and our own Heintz & Dutch Bill Creek wines. Our grapes are field selected and masterfully created into small lots of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah, truly hand-crafted from grower to winemaker.
Because our wines are produced in small lots, they receive the utmost care and attention, which is reflected in the taste, color and aroma of our wines. Between our two labels Heintz and Dutch Bill Creek, we bottle less than 1,000 cases. Our wines are the perfect choice for the wine lover who enjoys consistently outstanding and highly rated wines from a family-owned winery with small lot production.
Winemaker Hugh Chappelle
After a long friendship Hugh joined Charles Heintz Vineyard as Consulting Winemaker starting with the 2012 vintage. Hugh’s work with us includes overseeing both the Heintz and Dutch Bill Creek wines (two Chardonnay’s, two Pinot Noir’s, a Syrah and Rose of Pinot Noir). We are thrilled and honored to be working with Hugh, he shows great attention to detail that comes through beautifully in the finished wine product.
Earlier in his career, Hugh was winemaker for Madrona Vineyards in the Sierra Foothills, where he focused on Zinfandel, Rhône, Bordeaux and aromatic white varieties. He also did graduate studies in viticulture and enology at U.C. Davis and has a degree in chemistry from U.C. Santa Cruz.
Hugh served as winemaker at Lynmar Estate in the Russian River Valley, where his wines achieved widespread critical acclaim. Prior to joining Lynmar, he served as winemaker for the noted boutique winery Flowers Vineyard & Winery on the Sonoma Coast.