Winemaker Notes
This vintage is classic Les Pierres. In your glass, the wine is a beautiful, pale straw color with tinges of green that catch the light. Rich aromatic notes of lime zest, wet stone, lemon meringue pie, citrus blossom and bright, lemon curd greet your senses as you swirl to open up the aromas. A beautifully balanced mouthfeel combines with Sonoma-Cutrer’s signature citrus-laced acidity that showcases nice oak integration and flavors of melon, lime, mineral, roasted nuts, and spice. On the palate this is an elegant, light creamy wine that dissolves to a long, juicy, lingering spice finish.
Pair with lamb, prawns, salmon and vegetable terrine.
Critical Acclaim
All VintagesA rich, very well-made, moderately full-bodied Chardonnay long on clean-as-can-be, ripe apple fruit, Sonoma-Cutrer’s Les Pierres bottling sports a judicious dollop of sweet and creamy oak that enhances rather than challenges its wonderfully juicy fruitiness. It still has the sense of a youthful wine that will develop more complexity and layering with time, and we do see it rewarding a few more years of age, but Chardonnay lovers who are short on patience will find it an immensely tasty effort that requires no further cellaring to please.
A vast appellation covering Sonoma County’s Pacific coastline, the Sonoma Coast AVA runs all the way from the Mendocino County border, south to the San Pablo Bay. The region can actually be divided into two sections—the actual coastal vineyards, marked by marine soils, cool temperatures and saline ocean breezes—and the warmer, drier vineyards further inland, which are still heavily influenced by the Pacific but not quite with same intensity.
Contained within the appellation are the much smaller Fort Ross-Seaview and Petaluma Gap AVAs.
The Sonoma Coast is highly regarded for elegant Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and, increasingly, cool-climate Syrah. The wines have high acidity, moderate alcohol, firm tannin, and balanced ripeness.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.