Our Croix Estate Narrow Gauge Chardonnay is a blend of select vineyards grown throughout Russian River Valley. With access to many of the best sites in the appellation, we felt compelled to create a wine that expresses the regional position in its entirety. A fuller, yet bright and refreshing style of Chardonnay, this wine has a golden straw presence in the glass with a bouquet of raw honey, marmalade, fresh citrus zest, toasted pine nuts, rocky flints, all spice, toasted oak and lusciousness on the nose that is ever so inviting. Island ripe pineapple, apple, stone fruit, and crisp pear leave the mouthwatering in a cascade of pleasure....

Each year Starling sparrows come by the hundreds to roost in the ancient oaks found at the crossing of Morelli Lane and a view to the Pacific. Located just north of Occidental and sitting at 800 feet above sea level, this vineyard was founded in the late 1890’s and later purchased in 1983 by Bill Moore. Dutton Ranch has since taken over refurbishing and farming this property to perfection. This wine is crisp and savory with a bouquet of meyer lemon zest, mild allspice, toasted pine nuts and fresh oak. Savory pinapple, sweet apple, ripe white peaches, and delicious pear lead the way to perfection in the glass. Wonderful! We have always believed in the ability to age Chardonnay long-term in cellar, however, conditions must be absolutely perfect to achieve success to achieve 15+ years of ageing in Chardonnay....

Coming from the Ritchie Vineyard that sits on a hillside bench in the drop center of the Middle Reach subregion of Russian River Valley AVA. The vineyard has long been lauded as a “Grand Cru” level site when it comes to Burgundian varieties. Named after the number of rows pertaining to our vineyard block within the legendary Ritchie Vineyard , this wine is quite impressive, threading a fine line between racy delicacy and creamy richness. Lemon curd, white peaches and white grapefruit with underlying notes of honeyed toast and butterscotch delight the senses....

This is an exotic, complex Chardonnay with notes of flower oil, Meyer lemon, candle wax, toasted spice, and toasted spice. Rich and full-bodied, yet deftly balanced with a cleansing ridge of acidity, this Chardonnay captures the imagination with nuances of delicious ripe pear, creamy Crème brûlée, and a mouthwatering finish. Fans of crisp, full styles of the variety with love this rendition....

An exotic, masculine aromatic mix of charred meats, bacon fat, orange rinds, and Morell mushrooms leads the way to light herbal scents of earl grey tea, lavender, sweet stone fruits and a dash of cayenne pepper. Wow, this wine grips your attention. Big, luscious dark fruit with forward tannins leads into fleshy plum, crushed red delicious apple, cherry syrup, subtle notes of fresh straw complimented by structured acidity and an exceptionally long finish. Simply stunning! Our contracted fruit with the Bucher family comes from the West Pyramid Block – Pommard Clone – producing roughly 7 barrels worth of Pinot Noir per vintage. We prefer this particular clone and block as it produces well-structured Pinot Noir fruit resulting in wine that is high in tannin with dark fruits, considerable spice, excellent mid-palate complexity, with a meaty character, and a luxurious mouthfeel. These are ideal results for making long-lived Pinot Noir and for achieving perfection in the glass....

Located in the Green Valley sub-appellation of the Russian River Valley, just across Purrington Creek outside of the town of Graton, the Manzana Vineyard is planted on a gently sloped hillside composed of Goldridge soils. The name “Manzana,” Spanish for apple, honors the area’s long heritage of apple orchards. Manzana’s hillside vineyard is eastern facing, which is optimal for ripening Pinot Noir in cooler growing regions. Planted to clone Dijon 828 and Dijon 115 in 2001, this vineyard sits on a sloped foundation of Goldridge soil with ideal drainage into Purrington Creek. A full, bold style of Pinot Noir, the nose opens with aromatic concentrations of blue herbs, wild flowers, allspice and a dash of fresh earth. The mouthfeel instantly engages the intellect with exotic expansiveness, tongue curling acidity, and a savory glide that finishes with substantial length on the palate. Full, yet balanced to perfection, this wine rewards the senses over and over again with each sip....

Our Summit 19 vineyard parcel is located square at the peak of the vineyard in blocks 19A and 19B. While ridiculously close to the coastline, this vineyard is deceivingly warm. Taking the drive from the cold (62 degrees) fog-soaked Bodega Highway, one courses the vineyard’s twisting road up the ridgeline and into the summer sun, where daytime temperatures range from the low 70’s to the mid 80’s. This is a spectacular juxtaposition of climate at elevation and serves as the foundation for producing some of Sonoma County’s finest, and most expensive Pinot Noir. Opening with aromatic concentrations of blue fruits, blue herbs, native wild flowers and a dash of fresh salted earth. The mouthfeel engages curiosity with breathtaking expansiveness, acidity and savory glide that finishes with substantial length on the palate. This is a full, yet balanced Pinot Noir that rewards the senses with each sip....

One of our most substantial, complex wines among our mix of single-vineyard Pinot Noirs, this wine is a rare beauty. Raw honey and crème de cassis hit the senses, quickly leading to licorice, black cherries, sweet tobacco leaf, blue herbs, cream soda, cardamom and coconut. On the palate this wine is massive and full-bodied with blueberry compote, candied raspberries, plum concentrate, bittersweet cocoa and crushed espresso bean, with mouthwatering acidity and a perpetual finish. Delicious!...

Small lot Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre and the blended GSM captured our hearts decades ago coming up in the industry. Grown to perfection and in the right locations, there was magic in the bottle of these off-variety productions that offered a range of styles from quaffable, aromatic beauties to hedonistic ink bombs that everyone seemed to pan at our wine parties, despite not a drop being spared in the bottles of the heartier efforts. It was, particularly during the late 1990’s, with Zinfandel and GSM productions that we witnessed a cultural shift in |production from lower alcohol wines to more fruit forward, fully ripened renditions. While we find great pleasure in debating the attributes of both style preferences, there is an argument to be established in any Northern California, wine-country tasting room that California began to define itself outside of traditional French-based winemaking practices during this period, and much to the flavorful benefit of the consuming public. That’s where we come in with our version of GSM. Croix Estate enthusiasts have come to recognize that we are not shy about growing fruit to its optimal ripeness. However, where there is ripeness, there is balance and harmony, and our Croix Estate Cinghiale GSM Red Blend is no exception on both fronts. Toasted oak char, white smoke, black pepper, dense red berry fruit and Cape jasmine waft from the glass drawing one’s curiosity. The palate reveals flavors of ripe black plum, blackberry, sweet cassis, with hints of black pepper, espresso and semi-sweet cocoa. The finish is lengthy and viscous with vibrant acidity adding substantial length to the session....

Our Croix Estate Vineyard is a heritage vineyard site located next door to the Fanucchi Wood Road Vineyard and across the drive from the Chelli and Belloni Vineyards. South of the Russian River near Forestville, the Laguna Ridge sub-region overlooks the Laguna de Santa Rosa. Goldridge and Altamont soils meet hot days and cool, foggy nights to create lush, high-quality Pinot Noirs and Zinfandels with enough tannins to provide structure for ageing. Our estate vineyard is dry farmed on low pH/fertility sandy loam soils, set in a temperate growing environment where cool, foggy mornings give way to warm summer days, producing bold and powerful results. This sexy, ripe and jammy Zinfandel opens with lively aromatics of boysenberry, blueberry, black cherry, and lavender catch curiosity immediately. The wine’s hue sheets the glass with jet black ink, indicative of Alicante Bouchet’s influence on the concentration of color. The mouthfeel is a viscous, luscious harmony of star anise, black plum, blackberries, and savory sweet bliss....