Sonoma-Cutrer, one of Sonoma County’s stalwart wineries, turns 50 years old in 2023, and this 70% Pinot Noir/ 30% Chardonnay sparkling wine is an appropriate one with which to celebrate the occasion, as those two grapes have been the company’s signature varietals in the years since Brice Cutrer Jones founded it in 1973. Since 1999, Sonoma-Cutrer has been a part of Brown-Forman portfolio. The wine is made in the fuller style that predominates in California sparkling wines and depends on its fruity charms for its attractiveness and less so on lean elegance. This vintage has lightly tangy, lightly creamy strawberry and cherry flavors with a hint of citrus, and it finishes with lingering notes of crusty bread that come in part from its normal lees bottle aging. The wine’s structure does lend itself to being enjoyed with food, perhaps that end-of-summer picnic.
Sonoma-Cutrer, Russian River Valley (Sonoma County, California) 2019
By Roger Morris