Wine Last Sold on: September 17, 2012
Dutch Bill Creek Wines (Heintz Owned)
Featured Wine:
2008 Dutch Bill Creek Chardonnay
| Varietal: | Chardonnay |
| Vineyard: | Heintz Ranch, Searby, Boriolo |
| Region: | California: Russian River Valley (Sonoma) |
| Availability: | Exclusive Allocation |
| Avg. Price: | $20.00 |
| Wine Spies: | $16.00 |
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SUPER QPR ALERT:
At today’s special Wine Spies price, this wine delivers tremendous value - and a drinking experience that exceeds expectations, easily earning it this special QPR (Quality to Price Ratio) Alert.
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Mission Codename: In the DBC
- Operative
- Agent Red
- Objective
- Return to Dutch Bill Creek & Heintz Ranch and secure an exlcusive allocation of their delicious Russian Rivery Valley Chardonnay.
- Mission Status
- Accomplished!
- Winemaker
- Kevin Kelley
Final Assessment
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
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.
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.
Round, soft and velvet smooth on entry. The wine quickly settles onto the mid-palate where it becomes flinty and slightly grippy, spreading a soft dryness to the edges of the palate. Eventually, the lips and cheeks become slightly puckered and dry.
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.
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.
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 owned by the Heintz family for nearly 100 years. Charlies’ grandparents purchased the land in 1912. Over the many decades they grew many crops. In the first years it was chickens, berries, cherries apples and other vegetables.
The Heintz family grew to nine children, which became the labor force. In the early 1900’s the Heintz family planted a few acres of vineyard. Zinfandel grew well here. At Prohibition, the grape vines were removed and replaced with apple orchards. Charlie’s father farmed here. Apples stayed in production until the Chardonnay vineyard was planted in 1982. About 8 acres of apple orchard still exisits today.
Following in the footsteps of his father, Charlie began farming Heintz Ranch in 1984. He continually strives to learn new techniques, keeping up with the latest tools and innovations.
In 1997, our first label became known as “Dutch Bill Creek” in recognition of one of the early settlers of the town of Occidental, CA named William “Dutch Bill” Howard and the creek that was later named after him. The train on our wine label through the 2008 vintage is representative of the train that used to pass through the center of town.
In 2004, our ultra-premium label, “Heintz” was introduced. These small-production wines are made with 100% Heintz Ranch fruit, farmed for lower yields and are grown primarily on the hillside areas of Heintz Ranch.
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. Charlie painstakingly manages all aspects of farming the 55 acres of vineyard including operations and personally overseeing the winemaking process of our Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and Syrah.
In addition to our limited production of 1500 cases of our wine each year, the remaining Heintz Ranch fruit goes to selected high-end wineries in Sonoma and Napa. Charlie prides himself on working closely with each winemaker to deliver quality fruit, consistently, each and every year.
