Mutt Lynch Winery
Healdsburg, California

About the Winery | Unleashed Chardonnay | Merlot Over and Play Dead Merlot | Portrait of a Mutt Zinfandel/Carignane

Mutt Lynch is a very small winery located in the Dry Creek Valley in Sonoma County, California, specializing in limited production wines from select vineyards in different parts of Northern California. We always look for the perfect "match" ... a certain grape grown in a certain region producing "our style" of wine - Zinfandel from Dry Creek Valley, Merlot from Livermore Valley, and Zinfandel/Carignane blends from old vineyards in Sonoma County – to name a few. We work closely with our growers to harvest the grapes at the right maturity; we then apply traditional winemaking techniques to capture the vineyard’s character.

So what is "our style" of wine? It's simple - fruit first, oak seasoning, balance in the mouth and ripe tannins. We strive for these qualities in every Mutt Lynch wine. We want our wines to deliver immediate pleasure when young, yet have the balance and structure to hint at an even better wine if left alone for a few years.

Oh yes, you might be curious about our winery name. Either genius or folly, we have decided to combine our love of dogs (we have two “mutts”), our passion for wine and our slightly left-of-center sense of humor. Frankly, the wine industry can take itself too seriously at times. For us, it’s about the pleasures of enjoying a glass of wine with friends. In this spirit, we focus on producing "seriously good" wines with "unique" names and labels - Livermore Valley 'Merlot Merlot Over and Play Dead', Sonoma County Zinfandel/Carignane 'Portrait of a Mutt', and our newest wine - Sonoma County Chardonnay 'Unleashed'.

Perhaps our motto sums it up best:

"Apply Dog Logic
to Life:
Eat Well, Be Loved,
Get Petted, Sleep a Lot,
Dream of a Leash-Free World"
-SARK

Northeast Wine Brokers is proud to offer the following Mutt Lynch wines in Connecticut:

2005 'Unleashed' Chardonnay, Sonoma County
The Chardonnay was purchased from 3 sources: Tom Mazzocco in the Dry Creek Valley, Wasson Vineyards in the Alexander Valley, and Lauglin Road Vineyard in the Russian River Valley. This combination of vineyards, and warm and cool appellations, brings depth and complexity to our 2005 Chardonnay.

Our Chardonnay was fermented in stainless steel, which creates crisp fruit flavors and bright acidity in the wine. Only the Russian River Valley portion saw some oak, which added texture, depth, and a creamy finish.

Tasting Notes Our 2005 Unleashed Chardonnay is a wonderfully crisp wine with fresh allure. The aromas of granny smith apple and honeydew melon are almost overpowering. The wine has a creamy mid-palate and a hint of oak on the finish. This is a summertime thirst quencher.

2004 'Merlot Over and Play Dead' Merlot, Livermore Valley
The 2004 vintage was exceptional across California, but particularly in Livermore Valley, which had a long and cool growing season.
This Merlot was purchased from our good friends Dave & Darcie Kent for the past 8 years. We take fruit from the “Crown Block” where the soils are gravely and the vines have very low yields. These vines are carefully tended and hand-harvested.

Our Merlot is fermented in a traditional Bordeaux manner to enhance extraction of tannins and flavors from the skins. The wine was aged in 100% French oak barrels for 10 months, of which approximately 20% were new barrels, and the rest neutral.

Tasting Notes Our Merlot is a deep dark ruby red color. This is a fully extracted, jammy, red berry wine with ripe cherry providing tremendous depth. A touch of sweet oak and dried herbs round out this complex, youthful wine. Do I detect dark chocolate on the finish?

2005 'Portrait of a Mutt' Zinfandel/Carignane, Sonoma County
For the fourth year running, Stone Vineyard Zinfandel and Carignane from the Alexander Valley formed the backbone of the blend. These lots were balanced by two Dry Creek Valley Zinfandels new to the blend from Rued and Oddone Vineyards. The most frequently asked question we receive on our Mutt blend is “why Carignane”. Our answer is simple - it adds spicy flavors and some guts to the finish.

Tasting Notes Fruit, fruit and then some more fruit. The wine tastes of fresh strawberries and raspberries. In the mouth, it is velvety smooth and rich. Our favorite part is the lingering finish - more fruit, with hints of spice (thanks to the Carignane) and dark chocolate.