40 Years of Winemaking at Russian River Valleys Sonoma-Cutrer by Philip S. Kampe

 Innovation in Winemaking at Sonoma-Cutrer began forty years ago. The focus has always been innovation for this Russian River Valley winery. Doing things right, for the right reasons has always been their mantra, according to founder Brice Jones. 

His focus was to single out one varietal and experiment with the varietal until he got it right. In this case, he started with Chardonnay using old world techniques. The result after many years of trials and tribulations resulted in an award winning Chardonnay with structure, body and flavor. Part of the success must be related to the state-of-the art cooling tunnel that they invented in 1982. Each step of the process from picking the grape to winemaking is under control.

The project of perfecting wines began with Chardonnay and was followed, years later in making Pinot Noir in the Burgundian winemaking style. 

Both wines, the Chardonnay and the Pinot Noir offer distinctive, well thought out wines that both hit the bullseye. Winemaker, Mark Schroeder said this recently about Sonma-Cutrer. It resonates with me. “ I could not be more proud and humbled to be part of Sonoma-Cutrer. I am honored to carry the brands storied legacy and am inspired by the great winemakers before me to maintain the consistency of style through 40 years.”

On top of his bold statement regarding the previous winemakers, Winemaker Mick Schroeder is hosting a “Romantic Danube River Cruis For Wine Lovers” from 4-11 April, 2022.  If you have interest, contact: wineclub@expediacruises.com  

Philip S. Kampe

Philip.kampe@thewinehub.com 

Earth Day is Everyday at Sonoma-Cutrer by Philip S. Kampe

 

Earth Day is Everyday at Sonoma-Cutrer by Philip S. Kampe

The month of April is the yearly designated month for Earth Day (April 21st) and to many of us, the whole month of April is Earth Month.

Choosing wine to match the love and respect of the earth leads us to search for sustainable wine producers. Their practices help the environment. The wine market is highly competitive. Sustainable wine producers have a marketable edge when it comes to conscious consumers.

In America, specifically California, Sonoma County is the first region to be certified 99% sustainable. Protecting the environment in all wine producing phases is the prime goal of numerous, earth conscious producers. Sonoma-Cutrer is one of the Sonoma companies that follows sustainable practices. Sustainable standards begins with social responsibility, farm planning, water conservation, water reduction, awareness of biodiversity and environmental consciousness. It takes years to achieve these goals.

On March 15, 2015, Sonoma-Cutrer was declared sustainable. The world has taken notice.

The vineyards-Vine Hill, Shiloh, Owsley, Less Pierres, Kent and Cutrer were certified sustainable. Being sustainable is a marriage of topography, soil and climate. The right mix in Sonoma and Russian River produce lush wines. Grapes are hand picked when the weather is cool-either late at night or early in the morning. After picking, the grapes end a unique cooling tunnel, set at 50F (10C). This unique process permits grapes to retain acidity, while reducing oxidation.

French oak barrels are used to store the wine-through a long standing 30 year relationship with the foresters. Barrels, at least for Chardonnay, are stored in a water-temperature controlled hillside location.

Pinots are stored in a 'Pinot Barn', which is located within the Cutrer vineyard.

(The three wines I sampled are available nationwide)

The full-bodied Sonoma Coast Chardonnay is a very fruity wine, with large doses of cantaloupe, lemon, pear, green apple and citrus flavors that create a lively minerality that blends into a not too oaky, lightly spiced background. This is a well-balanced wine, at 13.5% alcohol, that gives you a big bang for your buck ($22).

One of the most difficult grapes to master is Pinot Noir. Its a delicate grape that needs perfect conditions to make this grape lively. Plus, Pinot Noir prices often seem out of whack versus the quality of the bottle. Thats not the case for the Sonoma-Cutrer, Russian River Valley Pinot Noir. At $35, the wine shows depth and complexity, while focusing on brightness and texture. The rich aroma of blackberry paves the way for the oncoming tobacco and vanilla flavors.

It was a thrill to sample the acidic Rose of Pinot Noir ($22), The wine is elegant with  Provence style flavor that was delicate, crisp and tangy. Its such a special Rose, it can stand on its own.

All in all, these three wines from Sonoma-Cutrer have exceptional appeal and affordable price points that represent exceptional quality.