SONOMA COAST

Founders Reserve 1.5L Grapes were hand-harvested at night and then cooled down to preserve the fruit’s fresh flavors and natural acidity. After hand-sorting, grapes were gently whole-cluster pressed to avoid bitter tannins from the skins and grape seeds. The Cool, golden-green, free-run juice was then settled naturally in tanks for a few days before heading to French oak barrels for fermentation and aging. For sixteen months the wine was matured sur-lies in the cave-like conditions of our Grand Cru cellar. The Founders showcases the best characteristics of The Cutrer vineyard with a more focused structure than most Cutrer wines. On the nose, nougat, clove, caramel, sandalwood, and nutmeg oak characters integrate nicely with Honeycrisp apple and Asian pear fruit with hints of white blossom and cream. A striking palate structure combines deep richness with tight focus and length leading to a round mid-palate. The oak and the fruit flavors mix well together with Bosc pear & peach fruit, toasted nuts, clove and nutmeg oak components. The wine finishes with a light coating of oak spice. While this vintage is ready to drink now, Founders Reserve is always a wine that enjoys time in the bottle. We recommend cellaring for one to two years before enjoying it. In a temperature-controlled environment, this Chardonnay can be aged for 10+ years.