Dan Goldfield

Coming Up

Training at the University of California, Davis gave Dan Goldfield a technical base that carried into a winemaking career with a wide range of settings and responsibilities. The path ran through Robert Mondavi to Schramsberg, and also included work in Portugal, at La Crema, and at Hartford Court. Across those moves, the constant was a methodical attention to vineyard character, structure, and the expressive range of the grape.

Where They Are Now

At Dutton-Goldfield Winery in Sebastopol, the partnership that began in 1998 became the central line of Dan Goldfield’s career. The title changed over time, but the role remained tied to the same winery; by 2025, he is Winemaker Emeritus, a designation that marks continuity rather than closure. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay define the shape of the work. Goldfield has kept the focus on wines that make site, climate, and handling readable without excess. The discipline is clear, but so is the local attachment behind it: “It’s the karma of the place.”

Signature

Dan’s signature wines include Fox Den Vineyard. In the context of a portfolio shaped by site, the wine reads as part of the same working vocabulary: vineyard identity, measured handling, and a steady return to expression over ornament.

In Their Words “ It has been an incredible journey to explore both winemaking and land in this spectacular, intricate part of the world.” “ It’s the karma of the place.”

Honors

The dated milestones in his career are professional and educational: Brandeis University; University of California, Davis in 1986; associate winemaker at Schramsberg in Napa; winemaker at La Crema Winery in Russian River in 1990; winemaker at Hartford Court in 1994; co-founding Dutton-Goldfield Winery in 1998; and the 2025 title of Winemaker Emeritus in Sebastopol.