Winemaker Notes
In the glass, the wine showcases a beautiful soft straw color with hints of pale green tinges. This vintage, once again, showcases the exceptional consistency of flavor and classic style of Sonoma-Cutrer that Russian River Ranches fans have come to expect. Fruit forward aromas rich with citrus, lime zest, white peach and Honeycrisp apple mingle with delicate notes of hazelnut, roasted nuts and oak spice. Flavors of crisp, zesty lemon, and barrel spice with just a touch of minerality fill your mouth with the first sip. The wine is refreshing with a beautifully focused, creamy mouthfeel that has bright acidity balance and a long, juicy finish.
Ideal pairings for this wine include poultry dishes, prawns, risotto, or Salmon.
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.
A standout region for its decidedly Californian take on Burgundian varieties, the Russian River Valley is named for the eponymous river that flows through it. While there are warm pockets of the AVA, it is mostly a cool-climate growing region thanks to breezes and fog from the nearby Pacific Ocean.
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir reign supreme in Russian River, with the best examples demonstrating a unique combination of richness and restraint. The cool weather makes Russian River an ideal AVA for sparkling wine production, utilizing the aforementioned varieties. Zinfandel also performs exceptionally well here. Within the Russian River Valley lie the smaller appellations of Chalk Hill and Green Valley. The former, farther from the ocean, is relatively warm, with a focus on red and white Bordeaux varieties. The latter is the coolest, foggiest parcel of the Russian River Valley and is responsible for outstanding Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.