Wanting a glass or two of wine while prepping some food for the week, I pulled this one to clear it out of the cellar as much as anything. I'd received it as part of a lot of wines a while back and had written it off as over the hill. Upon opening, it was over the hill, but for all that had held up surprisingly well. The structure is still there, with butteriness that doesn't totally dominate some remaining fruit. I'm glad I didn't serve it to guests, but I'm glad I got to enjoy a couple of glasses.
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Underperforming. Cork in quite poor shape for such a relatively young wine – split in half upon extraction. Light golden color. Very buttery oaky nose – quite nice. A big letdown though on the palate: just a faint citrus element that’s overwhelmed by creamy butter and oak flavors. This is not to suggest the oak or butter is too heavy, really it’s more symptomatic of the fruit being nearly nonexistent to help balance. The finish here is long but rather amorphous, lacking crispness, just kind of blah in the end. Sadly, this is a dying wine. The fruit here seems to have completely faded though a bare hint of past greatness remains. Overall, definitely beyond its prime and a disappointment considering the $20 price. Still, when compared against the typical budget Chardonnay the oak and creaminess here still afford a modicum of style allowing this to retain some drinkability.
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(***Novice)... Brisk and sweet on the nose. Even, homey, yellow hue. Sweet palate, acidic, but balanced. Slightly under-ripe pineapple?! Noticeable citrus. Delectable dried fruit (Apricot...) and lightly toasted oak. Ripe apples. Excellent as it got warmer! Very much enjoyed!
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Somehow this bottle penetrated and occupied the cellar without registering itself in the CT database. I have long had a soft spot for Sonoma Cutrer, dating back to when the Russian River was being discovered and wineries such as this were off the beaten track. In the late eighties I remember at one local restaurant the corks always seemed to be really tight in the bottles and the waitress couldn't remove them (how many bottles were sacrificed in that fiasco?). Decades on, this inexpensive wine is a perfect model for an affordable interesting wine. Golden yellow hue, attractive oaky nose, the palate has plenty of tart citrus fruits underscored with good minerality and some oaky lushness to balance it out.
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Another half bottle. We drank this before Easter supper, with fine English cheeses (the kind that combines five types of English cheese into one). It went excellently with that. I like this wine. Citrusy aroma; flavour to match. Not too oaky, which is fine with me. A good solid Chardonnay. I paid $12 for it.
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Lighter color for a Cal Chardonnay. The fruit consideted of apple and pear and was very mild as well. Theoverall taste balanced well with lthe light oak which added just a hint of the buttery feel. Not a "Butter" bomb by any means and it paired well with a baked chicken breast with a light barbeque sauce. In short an easy drinking chardonnay.
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Apple, pear. Toasted oak/vanilla notes. Well-balanced. Enjoyable. Improved as the wine warmed (served too cold at a local restaurant). Need to revisit.
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Nice and fair crisp, with a bit of steely grapefruit and lime flavors. The oak treatment is pretty subtle, and doesn't overwhelm the wine at all. A bit of vanilla, and nut flavors on the finish.
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very good; light fruit, not particularly oakey and buttery; a contemporary chard; had at Garlic Press with corn tortilla crunch Talapia and Chicken romano.
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Per www.sonomacutrer.com: A cuvée of wines crafted from several estate vineyards, each distinct in its own right and together, adding depth to the blend. Hints of wet grass and honey, flowers, kiwi and lemon zest. The finish is crisp with length. Estate bottled.
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enjoiyed this bottle with flounder francais from fairway. i don't know what all the complaints are about. this is a good example of what cutrer produces. perhaps not as complex as their early wines from the 70's, but good quality nevertheless. powerful aroma emerges as the wine is being poured into the glass. fruit flavors are evident but somewhat in the background. i taste mostly walnuts and what i assume is some oak. of course, the butter is there too. i did not find annoying acidity or tartness. perhaps i like more of this than most chardonnay fans.
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Subtle flavors of applesauce with a touch of lime and grapefruit. Some creamy stone flavors. Nice tartness but even more acidity would have made this memorable. Otherwise, clean and balanced with a good mouthfeel. Usually not a fan of Cali chards but this was quite nice.
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Tasted March 25, 2006 at an offline so brief comments only. Opened and served immediately in a Spiegelau Authentis Weiss Wein glass. Light yellow to yellow color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of sliced yellow apple, pears and some citrus notes. Flavors of pear, peach, apple and an offputting tartness. Acidity seems too high here. Value is unacceptable. Drink now.
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7/8/2019 - RedLoverJim wrote:
Wanting a glass or two of wine while prepping some food for the week, I pulled this one to clear it out of the cellar as much as anything. I'd received it as part of a lot of wines a while back and had written it off as over the hill. Upon opening, it was over the hill, but for all that had held up surprisingly well. The structure is still there, with butteriness that doesn't totally dominate some remaining fruit. I'm glad I didn't serve it to guests, but I'm glad I got to enjoy a couple of glasses.
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2/19/2010 - BrandrB wrote: 83 Points
Underperforming. Cork in quite poor shape for such a relatively young wine – split in half upon extraction. Light golden color. Very buttery oaky nose – quite nice. A big letdown though on the palate: just a faint citrus element that’s overwhelmed by creamy butter and oak flavors. This is not to suggest the oak or butter is too heavy, really it’s more symptomatic of the fruit being nearly nonexistent to help balance. The finish here is long but rather amorphous, lacking crispness, just kind of blah in the end. Sadly, this is a dying wine. The fruit here seems to have completely faded though a bare hint of past greatness remains. Overall, definitely beyond its prime and a disappointment considering the $20 price. Still, when compared against the typical budget Chardonnay the oak and creaminess here still afford a modicum of style allowing this to retain some drinkability.
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10/27/2009 - Wine4Jim wrote: 84 Points
Structure was evident, but I think the wine was tired. Still pleasant but...
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8/28/2008 - Dan Levitan wrote: 88 Points
(***Novice)... Brisk and sweet on the nose. Even, homey, yellow hue. Sweet palate, acidic, but balanced. Slightly under-ripe pineapple?! Noticeable citrus. Delectable dried fruit (Apricot...) and lightly toasted oak. Ripe apples. Excellent as it got warmer! Very much enjoyed!
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3/27/2008 - riddler wrote: 90 Points
Creamy, full flavored; bottle was much better than one drunk earlier in the week. Definitely need to drink now.
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3/19/2008 - riddler wrote: 86 Points
Some creaminess, not as good as other bottles drunk- perhaps this bottle was a bit off.
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11/18/2007 - Dulcie and Aylwin wrote:
Somehow this bottle penetrated and occupied the cellar without registering itself in the CT database. I have long had a soft spot for Sonoma Cutrer, dating back to when the Russian River was being discovered and wineries such as this were off the beaten track. In the late eighties I remember at one local restaurant the corks always seemed to be really tight in the bottles and the waitress couldn't remove them (how many bottles were sacrificed in that fiasco?). Decades on, this inexpensive wine is a perfect model for an affordable interesting wine. Golden yellow hue, attractive oaky nose, the palate has plenty of tart citrus fruits underscored with good minerality and some oaky lushness to balance it out.
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11/13/2007 - WE KNOW PINOT wrote:
Citrus and maybe pear? on nose. Palate of citrus and hint of toasted nuts. lightly oaked, not overwhelming. Nice.
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7/21/2007 - tko wrote:
intense, citrusy with tropical fruits. tk thought it well balanced, earthy-grassy, and pleasant. cw primarily tasted oak.
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6/28/2007 - riddler wrote: 90 Points
Rich, creamy, excellent
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4/8/2007 - Ombibulous wrote: 82 Points
Another half bottle. We drank this before Easter supper, with fine English cheeses (the kind that combines five types of English cheese into one). It went excellently with that. I like this wine. Citrusy aroma; flavour to match. Not too oaky, which is fine with me. A good solid Chardonnay. I paid $12 for it.
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4/7/2007 - Stealthwine wrote: 88 Points
Lighter color for a Cal Chardonnay. The fruit consideted of apple and pear and was very mild as well. Theoverall taste balanced well with lthe light oak which added just a hint of the buttery feel. Not a "Butter" bomb by any means and it paired well with a baked chicken breast with a light barbeque sauce. In short an easy drinking chardonnay.
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3/22/2007 - behm0027 wrote: 87 Points
Apple, pear. Toasted oak/vanilla notes. Well-balanced. Enjoyable. Improved as the wine warmed (served too cold at a local restaurant). Need to revisit.
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12/9/2006 - Old_Winyards wrote: 88 Points
Nice and fair crisp, with a bit of steely grapefruit and lime flavors. The oak treatment is pretty subtle, and doesn't overwhelm the wine at all. A bit of vanilla, and nut flavors on the finish.
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11/21/2006 - raiderwes wrote:
very good; light fruit, not particularly oakey and buttery; a contemporary chard; had at Garlic Press with corn tortilla crunch Talapia and Chicken romano.
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11/19/2006 - Ombibulous wrote: 83 Points
Per www.sonomacutrer.com: A cuvée of wines crafted from several estate vineyards, each distinct in its own right and together, adding depth to the blend. Hints of wet grass and honey, flowers, kiwi and lemon zest. The finish is crisp with length. Estate bottled.
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10/23/2006 - BailliSacks wrote: 87 Points
Very nice, excellent value. Plays well above its weight class.
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9/4/2006 - brownman6 wrote: 90 Points
consistently good for sipping and with food
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8/25/2006 - bacchus wrote: 87 Points
enjoiyed this bottle with flounder francais from fairway. i don't know what all the complaints are about. this is a good example of what cutrer produces. perhaps not as complex as their early wines from the 70's, but good quality nevertheless. powerful aroma emerges as the wine is being poured into the glass. fruit flavors are evident but somewhat in the background. i taste mostly walnuts and what i assume is some oak. of course, the butter is there too. i did not find annoying acidity or tartness. perhaps i like more of this than most chardonnay fans.
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8/1/2006 - brownman6 wrote: 90 Points
flinty oak good through finish
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7/29/2006 - cck wrote: 83 Points
The components don't come together well. Individual notes are fine. Maybe the acidity is holding it back. Fortunately, this was my last bottle.
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7/12/2006 - 5laton wrote: 88 Points
Subtle flavors of applesauce with a touch of lime and grapefruit. Some creamy stone flavors. Nice tartness but even more acidity would have made this memorable. Otherwise, clean and balanced with a good mouthfeel. Usually not a fan of Cali chards but this was quite nice.
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5/21/2006 - Dale M wrote: 85 Points
It seemed there was a nice structure here, but masked by the overpowering acidity.
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5/9/2006 - Craig Hogan wrote: 90 Points
Smooth with fruit and butter. Paired with spicey turkey chili and what a match. One of the best under $20 whites available in my opinion.
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4/22/2006 - NoVaCain wrote: 90 Points
smooth and buttery.
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3/28/2006 - dfitzg2 wrote: 91 Points
Probably my most favorite under $20 white. Nice fruit, great finish, and consistent through the years.
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3/25/2006 - wineismylife wrote: 83 Points
DAWGS Offline - March 25, 2006 (Babe's in Carrollton, TX): WIML83,NOWA,NOWA,NOCT
Tasted March 25, 2006 at an offline so brief comments only. Opened and served immediately in a Spiegelau Authentis Weiss Wein glass. Light yellow to yellow color in the glass, clear hue throughout. Nose of sliced yellow apple, pears and some citrus notes. Flavors of pear, peach, apple and an offputting tartness. Acidity seems too high here. Value is unacceptable. Drink now.
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