2024 Sonoma Cutrer - Chardonnay Russian River Ranches (750ml)

Sonoma-Cutrer was founded in 1973 by Brice Cutrer Jones in the cool reaches of the Sonoma Coast, with a singular mission: producing estate-bottled Chardonnay and nothing else. Jones assembled a team of respected wine experts, including Bill Bonetti and Robert Haas, to help realize that vision, and ground broke on the winery itself in 1981. Since then, Russian River Ranches has become the estate's flagship bottling and, according to the Wine & Spirits Restaurant Poll, has been the most requested Chardonnay in America's finest restaurants for more than two decades running.

This vintage draws on fruit from six estate vineyards along with a small group of trusted growers across the Sonoma Coast. Grapes are picked in the early morning hours and immediately cooled to lock in freshness and natural acidity, then hand-sorted and whole-cluster pressed to protect the delicate, free-run juice. After a brief settling period in tank, the wine ferments across a combination of French oak and stainless steel before resting sur lie in barrels ranging from new to neutral, a process that builds texture while preserving the fruit's brightness.

The wine shows a pale straw color with a slight green hue, opening with lime zest, Meyer lemon, green apple, and white flowers, layered with toasted almond and a light mineral note. The palate is fruit-forward and crisp, with lemon and pineapple flavors rounding into a velvety, long finish touched by subtle oak spice. It pairs beautifully with fresh crab, roast turkey, or a wedge of ripe brie.