Sustainable farm raised trout are readily available in the market. This recipe would work well with any fresh herbs you have on hand. For example, easily substitute rosemary for the sage and parsley for the mint. You could serve the trout as is or make onions agrodolce to serve with it, which are also featured in the recipe. A rich and bright Sonoma-Cutrer chardonnay, such as Les Pierres, makes the perfect pairing for this dish.

It took the vision and expertise of our former and present head winemakers to make Legacy the truly unique, limited availability cuvée it is.

WILLIAM BONETTI, SONOMA-CUTRER 1981-1991

William Bonetti has dedicated over forty years to winemaking and his distinguished career covers much ground. Raised in northern Italy and educated at the venerable Conegliano School of Viticulture, Mr. Bonetti brought a traditional and formal winemaking background to America with him at the age of eighteen. In California’s Central Valley, Mr. Bonetti worked as a chemist with E. & J. Gallo and Cresta Blanca. Working as a winemaker at Charles Krug with Robert and Peter Mondavi, Mr. Bonetti developed methods to press grapes while cold, to transfer wine with inert gas, and to barrel ferment Chardonnay — the first such undertaking in America. From Krug, he was hired to design and operate the new Chateau Souverain facility, where he helped pioneer the production of fine wines in Sonoma County. Mr. Bonetti’s crowning achievement was the design and operation of the Sonoma-Cutrer winery. At Sonoma-Cutrer, beginning in 1981, he brought to bear his wealth of knowledge and experience to produce Chardonnay from five estate vineyards under three distinct labels. For ten years, he used grape chilling, sorting, whole cluster pressing, barrel fermentation and various oxygen reduction techniques to make Chardonnay wine exclusively.

TERRY ADAMS, SONOMA-CUTRER 1991 – 2010

Terry Adams became Director of Winemaking with the harvest of 1991. Prior to his appointment as Director, Terry had worked as Assistant Winemaker and Cellarmaster to William Bonetti at Sonoma-Cutrer since the inception of the winery in 1981. Before coming to Sonoma-Cutrer, Terry apprenticed under the direction of Mr. Bonetti at Chateau Souverain. From 1981 to 1991, Terry helped produce every bottle of Sonoma-Cutrer Chardonnay. During the same interval, he had a hand in the development of much of the “state of the art” equipment and processes at the winery. Terry was intricately involved in all of the Sonoma-Cutrer’s pioneering work with malo-lactic cultures, spontaneous fermentations, barrel toasting, bottling techniques and vineyard development. He also played a pivotal role in implementing Sonoma-Cutrer’s Grand Cru Program, overseeing essential projects from the crafting of the barrels in France from oak trees to bottling the first vintage of The Cutrer without fining or filtration. Terry’s entrepreneurial spirit led him to plant the first vines of Pinot Noir in the Cutrer Vineyard. Terry utilized his Grand Cru approach to winemaking to create a style of Pinot Noir that was the perfect second varietal offering to Sonoma-Cutrer’s portfolio. Over the years, Terry honed his own style and philosophy to winemaking. His goal was to always “make wines that exemplify the character of the vineyards, that are fresh and lively, yet at the same time focused, balanced and structured.”

MICHAEL “MICK” SCHROETER, SONOMA-CUTRER 2010 – PRESENT

Michael “Mick” Schroeter’s decorated and storied wine background made him superbly qualified to serve as only the third head winemaker in the history of Sonoma-Cutrer. Winemaking is often a trade passed down from generation to generation, and Mick Schroeter is no exception. Starting out on his own as an oenologist at Kaiser Stuhl winery in Australia, Mick wanted to blaze his own trail and had no intentions of following in his father and uncle’s footsteps at the Penfolds Winery. Then in 1982, as fate would have it, Penfolds bought Kaiser Stuhl and reunited Mick with the family in the business. Mick rose rapidly through the Penfolds system and had the privilege to be part of their red winemaking team, eventually working on Penfolds’ legendary Grange Hermitage, the benchmark of Aussie Shiraz. From there, Mick accepted an invitation from Geyser Peak Winery in California to take over as Vice President of Winemaking where he stayed for 17 years. It is his long track record of success and illustrious career in Australia and California, along with twice being named “Winemaker of the Year” at the London International Wine & Spirit Competition, that gave Mick the encompassing experience to take the reins at Sonoma-Cutrer. He considers it one of the industry’s true dream jobs and is honored to carry on the brand’s storied legacy.

For over thirty years, Sonoma-Cutrer has been dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in our wines, specifically Chardonnays. Behind this almost singular focus is a story about serendipity, place and the pursuit of perfection. By design, a large part of the Sonoma-Cutrer story and rich history has relied on the talents of our winemaking team.

It is a fairly amazing and little known fact that since our inception the winery has only had three Directors of Winemaking. Each of these individuals has had their own indelible influence on the wine, the process and the continuation of Sonoma-Cutrer’s heritage. Each has strived to improve upon the efforts of their predecessor, while never deviating from the original winemaking philosophy or the signature Sonoma-Cutrer style.

The Sonoma-Cutrer vision has always kept the winemaking team at the forefront pursuing excellence through technology and innovation. After years of being dissatisfied with cork “tainted” wines, Terry Adams, Director of Winemaking (1991-2010), made the unprecedented decision to seal our most distinctive Chardonnay, the limited 1999 Founders Reserve Chardonnay, with a screw cap closure. As this wine is designed for prolonged cellaring, Founders Reserve has to show potential for in-bottle development. Terry’s extensive research on the subject of closures led him to the conclusion that screw cap technology was the best option available for fine wine because it guaranteed an air-tight closure for up to 20 years without the risk of cork taint.

Today, Sonoma-Cutrer continues to bottle its most premium expressions utilizing screw cap closures, including our most selective release to date – the 2012 Winemaker’s Release Legacy. Our closure choice ensures that this elegant wine will continue to bottle-age for years to come allowing the wine to reach new heights of perfection.

It’s no secret that at Sonoma-Cutrer, a favored topic is terroir, or how a vineyard’s specific geology, geography and climate affect the flavors that end up in your glass. While you’re probably not thinking about the fog rolling in off the Pacific, or the California sun warming up the rocky soil when you savor that first sip, the truth is, terroir is directly responsible for the complexities that make our wines distinct.

So how does terroir translate to taste? It’s a good question that could involve a lengthy conversation! But we will spare you. Instead, let’s start by lifting a glass to the celebrity here in our part of the world: the fog.

At Owsley Ranch, our closest vineyard to the Pacific, ocean breezes blow cool fog off the water and into the narrow Bloomfield Gap, where it’s concentrated between steep hillsides before blanketing over the valley to make it up to 10 degrees cooler than other areas in the region.

This results in fewer, smaller grapes, which means intense concentrated flavor. So, when you take that first sip of Owsley Ranch Vineyard Pinot Noir, the deep earthy flavors and dark fruit complexities that you taste are directly indebted to those thick blankets of fog.

Grapes grown at Les Pierres vineyard are more influenced by the soil, which is made up of 50-70% rock (hence the name, which translates to “The Stones”). This inhospitable rocky soil makes the vines work extra hard to grow and gives low yields of smaller grape clusters with incredibly rich flavor.

The rocks in the soil at Les Pierres also absorb sunlight, slowly releasing the heat to offset the cool fog and lengthen the growing season. The resulting fruit is infused with a stony minerality that makes Les Pierres Chardonnay utterly distinct, a true reflection of the vineyard’s terroir.

The next time you’re sipping your favorite Sonoma-Cutrer wine, raise a glass to the dense fog, ancient riverbeds and distinguishing soils of Sonoma-Cutrer. After all, they are responsible for the depth and complexity of the wine you are enjoying. Cheers!

This wine tasting primer is designed to give you a comprehensive understanding of the components of tasting wine. To make it easier, feel free to taste along if you wish. All you need is a quality wine glass of eight or more ounces and a bottle of Sonoma-Cutrer 2015 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay.

There are 3 points of emphasis in any wine tasting- Sight, Smell and Taste.

Sight– Usually a full color will suggest a full wine and a light color will suggest a light wine. Our Sonoma Coast Chardonnay is yellow-gold, clear and bright.

Smell– I use the acronym FEW to help remember this part of the tasting. F stands for fruit and floral, E for earth and W for wood or oak.

Fruit can cover the entire world of fruits, but think about fruits that are in the range of the color of wine. For example, white wine may have flavors of citrus and apples; red wine may have flavors of red cherries and black berries.

Earth can encompass everything from the smell of fresh tilled soil to minerals. Like many other flavors in wine, it is not always present.

Wood or oak is used to age a good deal of wine, but not all. It can give a wine the smell of spices like, cinnamon, vanilla, allspice and more. To better smell your wine, try swirling it in your glass to release the aromas and make it easier to describe its flavors.

Our Sonoma Coast Chardonnay smells of apple, pear and lemon zest with the oak enhanced flavors of toasted nuts, baking spices and a hint of vanilla.

Taste – Our taste buds are equipped to sense four basic flavors: Sweet, Sour, Bitter and Salt.

Sweet is the presence of sugar in wine. Dry is the absence of sugar in wine. Medium-dry falls in somewhere between the two. You usually detect sweetness on the tip of your tongue. To better understand dryness in wine, try this simple demonstration: Place three glasses of water in front of you. Into the first glass of water, pour an entire packet of sugar – this equals sweet. Put a half packet of sugar into the second glass – this is medium-dry. No sugar will be put into the third glass of water which equals dry.

Sour refers to the acidity in wine, and while it carries a negative connotation, it really refers to the zippy-crisp component in wine. It typically can be sensed on the sides of your tongue. Let’s take our three glasses of water again. Into the first glass of water, squeeze an entire lemon this would be very crisp. In the second glass of water, squeeze half of a lemon this represents crisp. Put only a few drops of lemon juice into the third glass this is our low acid or not very crisp.

Bitter refers to the tannins in wine. Like sour, it carries a negative connotation. But, it actually refers to the mouth-puckering quality of wine. It may be sensed all over your palate. A heavily tannic wine can make any part of your mouth contract and dry out. A wine can be described as light, medium or heavy in tannin. Tannin can be sensed in grape skins, long steeped tea and espresso. Tannin is typically found in red wine because of the extended skin contact with the unfermented and fermenting wine during red wine production. So, we won’t really find any in our Sonoma Coast Chardonnay.

When you taste wine, allow the wine to stay on your palate for a minute, letting all parts of your palate touch the wine. This will allow you to more accurately use the various areas where you sense the taste of the wine. Sonoma Coast Chardonnay is dry and crisp.

Also, through your palate, you can establish the body or weight of a wine. The body of a wine is described as light, medium or full bodied; like a glass of water, milk or heavy cream respectively, Sonoma Coast is a medium to full-bodied Chardonnay.

Your olfactory system senses smell in your palate, as well as, through your nose. This helps you to connect the wine’s smell and taste. The aftertaste is the lingering flavor you get after swallowing the wine; an aftertaste is only bad when it tastes bad! A good aftertaste is pleasant and persistent. Our Chardonnay has a very pleasant aftertaste.

Overall, we would characterize the Sonoma Coast Chardonnay as yellow-gold with a nose and palate of apple, pear and lemon zest with the oak enhanced flavors of toasted nuts, baking spices and a hint of vanilla. It is dry, crisp, and medium to full-bodied with a very pleasant aftertaste. And don’t forget the easy descriptors like this deliciously, tasty Chardonnay is superb.

About the Author

A Certified Wine Educator, Scott is one of 135 professionals in North America and 214 worldwide who have earned the title Master Sommelier.

Chardonnay is Chardonnay is Chardonnay.

Or is it? Not really. You might be surprised how different Chardonnays can really be. Chardonnay is one of the most widely planted grape varietals in the world and the #1 selling wine varietal in the United States (1). The Chardonnay grape is less pungent than many other white varietals which lends itself to have a wonderful affinity to oak and the complexity derived from the barrel and the winemaker.

Often, you will hear the terms “Old World” and “New World” used when describing wine. It certainly comes up in discussions about Chardonnay since this resilient varietal is grown in many grape growing regions around the world. While some might find those terms confusing, the definition of them is actually quite simple. An ‘Old World’ wine refers to wines that are grown in the classic grape growing regions of Europe (France, Italy, Spain Germany, etc) or, basically, any country that was around during the Roman Empire. By contrast, “New World” wines are the ones that are grown everywhere else. Old World vs. New World terminology is used because it helps depict the style in which the wine was crafted. While Old World wines are generally made under tight regulations & using traditional techniques that are passed down over generations, New World wines have pushed the boundaries of what can be accomplished using technology and viticulture to expand upon the traditional methods.

The Chardonnay grape is so malleable that it can be vinified in many different styles offering a wide variety in the flavor profile of the wine. Old World wines will tend to be more lean and subtle with minerality. New World wines offer a wide variety of flavors including Oak and a vast array of upfront fruit characters.

Chardonnay is a wine that offers the wine lover a wide and varied palette of flavors to enjoy. Taste testing different styles of the wine will help you find the type of Chardonnay that best fits your personal taste preferences. Try it for yourself. You may discover a whole new world in Chardonnay.

Cheers! Mick