Sonoma-Cutrer’s Winemaker’s Release 40th Anniversary Chardonnay presents beautiful aromas of ripe pear, citrus zest, and baked apple, with light mineral notes and a touch of matchstick for complexity. Layers of spice, caramel, nougat, and pie crust are integrated throughout. Melon and Bosc pear along with lemon meringue flavors mingle with hints of nutmeg, clove, toasted nuts, and oak. The wine strikes an exceptional balance between being full-bodied and delicate, with a creamy mouthfeel highlighting the winery’s signature citrus acidity.
In selecting the fruit for this wine, the winemakers chose grapes from three closely spaced blocks of Sonoma-Cutrer’s estate vineyards, Les Pierres, The Cutrer, and Vine Hill, which allowed them to craft a varietal that is the ultimate expression of the winery’s classic style. In the cellar, Grand Cru winemaking techniques were used including minimal settling, bâttonage and sur lie aging for 10 months. The wine was fermented and aged in new and used French oak sourced only from the Orleans Forest in central France. Sonoma-Cutrer’s longtime partners the Gauthier family purchased, split, milled and seasoned the wood, and under the winery’s strict guidelines, the barrels were produced by Remond, Rousseau & TW Boswell Cooperages.
