Peach purée, hibiscus tea, fragrant lychee. Mango slice, ginger root, plantain peel. Bright azaleas and plumerias, ground cumin and tumeric. Aromatically complex tropical fruit erupts on the bouquet, oozing passionfruit and green pear without the need for any coaxing. Bright island flowers soon follow only to recede behind exotic thai spice, presenting coriander and basil along with just a dash of phenolic bitterness. Thoroughly dominated by pronounced fruit and spice yet mild sandy soil tones can be noted, although focus never strays from the expressive and ambrosial decadence. Dry and medium bodied with balanced acidity, but as hard as it tries the palate never comes close to stealing the spotlight from this wine's remarkably interesting perfume. This 2017 Green Valley Vineyard Gewürztraminer by Dutton-Goldfield Winery is a spectacularly executed aromatic white from Sonoma's Russian River Valley.

Primarily native to the cooler northern reaches of continental Europe, aromatic white wine grape varieties are grown with varied results all across the new world. Gewürztraminer happens to be one of the most striking of all aromatic whites and when made correctly can give off a powerfully tropical and spicy perfume. This bottling, crafted by Dutton-Goldfield Winery using 100% Gewürztraminer sourced from the Green Valley Vineyard, is one of the finest domestic examples of the variety we have encountered. It is extremely fragrant and expressive, showing off oodles of the desirable characteristics that make this unique grape so special. Smelling this stuff is half the fun, but this also does drink quite wonderfully with a balanced clean crispness and great depth. This is an extremely interesting wine that holds up to the Alsatian standard. We thoroughly enjoyed this tasting experience.