We hereby formally resign from the ABC Club. After years of faithful membership we remove ourselves from this organization, better know as the Anything But Chardonnay Club. For many years we forced ourselves to sample a host of inferior and inadequate chardonnay wines and found that only about one in three could even be considered a decent wine. All too often, regardless of price, they were weak, shabby, simple things that generated little interest and even less enjoyment.
What caused our resignation were the chardonnay wines of Sonoma-Cutrer whose wines are all hand crafted and not, as are many, just put together from what is the California equivalent of “store bought grapes.”
The work starts in winter when the vines are pruned to encourage new growth and checked for disease or any indication of rot. During the rainy season of April and May, the total amount of water received by the vines is carefully monitored and the soil adjusted accordingly. Harvesting of the grapes is done at night to retain the maximum amount of sugar in the grapes.
It is then on to the fermenter where the wines progress is constantly monitored. When fermentation is completed, the wine is set away to rest and mature in oak barrels until aging period is complete and the individual wine batches are sampled and blended to complete the winemaking process.
By employing these tedious and costly procedures, Sonoma-Cutrer chardonnay wines are a cut above the rest and we must admit that their wines are among the finest we have yet to taste.
If your taste is not that critical and you are willing to accept a lesser wine might we suggest “two buck Chuck,” Charles Shaw Chardonnay which sell for $1.99 per 750 ML bottle. Considering that the bottle, label, cork and capsule cost about $1, you get your moneys worth. However if you want a chardonnay to remember, we will unequivocally recommend the chardonnay wines of Sonoma-Cutrer.

Sonoma-Cutrer 2008 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay ($24). The typical straw yellow ushers in the aromas of ginger, lemon zest and coconut. In the flavor department, this wine shines. The Flavors of lemon, apple, pineapple and cantaloupe with a background of oak spice and nuts abound. The long finish reflects these flavors and ends the wine experience magnificently.

Sonoma-Cutrer 2006 Valley Russian River “The Cutrer” Chardonnay ($35). Grapes for this wine came from a specially tended vineyard called “The Cutrer.” While the wine exhibits the very typical tropical fruit flavors of a California chardonnay, peach, pineapple and apple, remains the dominant flavor and aroma. In time, some of the oak will give way to fruit flavors, but the wine is not too overly oaky for present consumption. It is its oakyness that makes the Sonoma-Cutrer 2004 “The Cutrer” Chardonnay an excellent accompaniment for shellfish, seafood and poultry dishes.

Sonoma-Cutrer 2006 “Les Pierres” Chardonnay ($36). Another wine made from the grapes of a specific vineyard. This one is the crème de la crème of the Sonoma-Cutrer portfolio. This is a well made, well blended and well aged wine that is worth every penny of its price. This is a bright and crisp wine, which presents a fine balance between the fruit flavors and the acid. The traditional California chardonnay aromas of pineapple, apple, and citrus carry over to the flavor where they mingle with vanilla and soft oak. The wine has a creamy mouth feel and lots of summer fruit flavor in the background and finish.

Sonoma-Cutrer 2003 Pinot Noir ($40) Where there is chardonnay there will be pinot noir; and with Sonoma-Cutrer, there is. The color is much darker than most California pinot noir’s and the aroma is an ever changing display of black cherry, blackberry and plum with leather, coffee and clove in the background. The flavor, which centers on plum, blackberry, boysenberry and oak, is just as expansive and explosive as is the aroma. This is a grand wine, in both meanings of the term; it is big and it is regal.