4401 Slusser Rd, Windsor, CA 95492

Website: https://www.sonomacutrer.com/

Sonoma-Cutrer is on the eastern border of the Russian River Valley, not too far from Kendall Jackson Estate and Martinelli Vineyards & Winery (both are worth visiting).  Sonoma-Cutrer is suited for a casual crowd interested in Pinot Noir or Chardonnay.  The grounds are very pretty.  We drove down the driveway surrounded by vines and parked near a quiet pond.  There was a picnic table situated beneath tall oak trees near the pond.  Outside of the winery and tasting room is a huge, perfectly manicured croquet field.  To get to the tasting room we walked up a flight of cement stairs leading to a rather industrial looking building which was a stark contrast to the rest of the grounds.  The building almost seems out of place in comparison to the elegant tasting room, patio, and croquet field.

We arrived at the winery as the first tasting reservation of the day.  My husband and I like to take advantage of the fact that we are up bright and early due to the east coast to west coast time difference.  It often allows us to have a peaceful tasting experience before most other people come out to the wineries.  It was a nice, sunny day with a little breeze.  We felt like special guests when our host pointed us to seats and our name card on a table  that was already set up outside facing the croquet field.  We sat down in the cushioned chairs with a little table in between us lined with wine glasses.  We were taking in the scenery and fresh air while waiting for our host to start us on our tasting.  The host took her time serving us one wine at a time.  Most people wouldn’t balk at getting served tableside and taking all the time they need, but I got a little antsy waiting between pours since we still had a full day ahead of us.

During the tasting I meandered inside to check out the tasting room.  Inside had an elegant feel with a tasting bar in the center of room and panoramic windows facing out toward the extra large patio.  The room felt modern and bright with wood floors and tall white ceilings.  In the left hand corner of the room was a private tasting area with a long, dining room style table.  The outdoor patio extends from the steps leading up to the winery all the way around the left side of the tasting room with more seating.  This winery is built to accommodate large crowds.  As one might imagine, it seems to be a draw for bachelorette parties.  One party of girls showed up toward the end of our tasting, and they were already a rowdy group before their tasting even started.  By the time we were heading out another bachelorette party was coming in.  We felt we were leaving just in time.

If you are looking for more of a casual atmosphere and don’t mind the larger groups, this winery might be good for you.  As mentioned, they focus on Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.  Their wines are distributed and are not too hard to find.  There were two tasting experiences to choose from – the reasonably priced Heritage tasting or a Reserve tasting for twice as much.  In my opinion, the Reserve tasting is worth spending a little extra to try their single vineyard wines. I enjoyed the creamy The Cutrer Vineyard Chardonnay with notes of pears, apples, and citrus, and also the Vine Hill Pinot Noir that tasted of black cherries and brown sugar with a chocolatey aroma.   If you are looking for more than a tasting, they also have a couple of tour options.  And of course, if you want to hang around, you could play a game of croquet.