Sonoma-Cutrer Vineyards

Had a great time here! Had our tasting at the table and had a picnic lunch!
If you like white wines, you will like this place!

We had a bunch of tastings, both private and drop by, this trip to Sonoma and Napa Valley, but this was one of the most fun. The staff was friendly and helpful, and the grounds beautiful. We felt like welcomed family Not only that, everyone having tastings seemed to be having a wonderful time.
Even we live in Memphis, TN, we try to get to this area once every 1 — 2 years, and next trip we will definitely visit Sonoma-​Cutrer. Thanks for a great time!

Found this place on Unilocal after deciding to spend the weekend at the Russian River. I gotta say this is probably the most beautiful Vineyard I have ever been to. The grounds are just beautiful and the wine tasting areas outside are hard to beat. The staff if knowledgeable and friendly as well.
The wines are very tasty and we wound up getting a few glasses to sip while enjoying the grounds and a bottle of their delicious chardonnay to go.
When visiting the area, I definitely recommend stopping here for a tasting. Such a beautiful place with welcoming staff and excellent wines.
I will be back for sure!

This was one of the most informative winery tours /​tastings I’ve ever experienced. We went on the tour with two other couples, while our guide drove us around the vineyard, all the while explaining why the vines are planted the way the are, how long they live, and how they harvest the grapes. When we took the tour, they had just begun harvesting, so we got the added bonus of seeing the grapes come in, and get processed. It was a fascinating experience.
The tasting following the tour was also very nice, and we ended up buying several bottles of Chardonnay.
I just wish I had taken my croquet mallet!

My friends love their wines (chard fans) so they were excited to do a flight that is mostly their varieties of chards. I am a red wine drinker so they were nice enough to pour me a taste of a few of their pinot noirs which were lovely. The view is very nice and the tasting room is very impressive. The service was fantastic and we had the bonus of an airshow fly by while we tasted. What is great at this location is that they do the tasting out on the patio which makes for a very relaxing and enjoyable wine tasting.

Went for a tasting yesterday with my parents from out of town who LOVE chard. This is their favorite wine. Morningstar was awesome. Answered all our questions in a non robot way, which some tasting room people do. She was very pleasant. We’ll be back!

What a delightful visit we had!
We came on a very hot day. 97 degrees!
We were greeted by Donna O. who gave us wonderful background knowledge on Sonoma-Cutrer’s beginnings and current expansion.
Afterwards, we were escorted to a covered six seater cart. Donna drove us around the grounds. We tasted the different grapes, learned about the soil and new vineyards soon to be planted.
This was great and the grapes were refreshing.
When we returned to the main area, the rest of the group toured another part of the winery while I stayed in the cool indoors.
After they returned we were led to the tasting room. It was set up with our flight glasses.
We began with the white wines. They were all delicious!
Soon afterwards trays of dried fruit, nuts, cheese and crackers were delivered on each end of the long table.
Next, came the red wines. We started with the Pinot Noir. It was full bodied and tasted well on my palate.
After all of the tasting was finished we decided on what to take home.
We appreciate Donna for expertly guiding us through every part. Your knowledge and love for this winery is evident. Thank you for braving the heat with us!
Thank you to all of the staff who made our wine and pairing experience memorable!
We will return on our next trip :)

Very kind staff and great wines (Chardonnay, of course). I dropped in alone on a Sat and they let me taste even though I did not have an appointment. They were kind to let me linger on my tasting while my husband took our kids on a drive. Great wine and great service.

I need to preface this with the fact that Sonoma-Cutrer’s Chardonnay is one of my frequent purchases for my white wine fix. If I see it on a menu in San Francisco, I’ve been known to drop a pretty penny even for a glass and it’s a standard on my shopping list. That being said, when we passed it on our adventures this past weekend, I led the group here, confident that our experience would match my excitement.
I could not have been more wrong. Me, my boyfriend, and another couple received some of the rudest service and clientele I’ve ever experienced to date, not even limited to wineries. While the grounds were beautiful (even among the construction), the attitudes of the staff («We stop tastings at 3:30» «Okay, well it’s 3:15 and we just wanted to buy a bottle and sit…») to the snooty clientele (tip: wearing J Crew Factory and shoving your face with breadsticks while at a winery doesn’t make you classy), we were extremely disappointed. There were a very limited number of non-​reserved tables, and so we opted to sit in the grass — and were met with stares and snobbish giggles from the other group outside.
At both Korbel and Kendall Jackson earlier in the day, we were met with friendly, outstanding service, wine, and ambiance. Given the vibe at Sonoma Curtrer, I would not return, and would even go as far as to avoid their chardonnay going forward. Their loss. Wente’s Riva Ranch is better, anyways.

Again another corporate winery that just doesn’t get it and the wines aren’t that good…
Take your head out of the sand.
They need to read the book on customer service again or for the first time.

The winery itself is gorgeous. There is construction right now, so our tasting was comped, which was an unexpected surprise. Every single wine that I tasted was delicious. I ended up buying the late harvest Chardonnay and the reserve Pinot Noir. I also joined the wine club and cannot wait for my first shipment. Visit this winery if you are in the area — it is gorgeous and delicious.

As a self-​proclaimed wine n00b, we came here more for the croquet than the chardonnay. But out of the many billions of vineyard here to choose from, I’m so glad we spent most of our Sunday afternoon here.
Wine-​tasting experience was fabulous. Histomines give me migraines and often makes me sneeze, so a place that centralizes around white wines is perfect for me. I love that this place lets you taste the chards side-​by-​side, instead of only using one glass, and the guide was amazingly knowledgeable about everything. They specialize in not-​buttery chards, the french kind, the kind with a tint of pineapples which are oh so good :) the tasting gets comped if you purchase a bottle, none of which are exhuberantly priced.
The estate was beautiful. Very spacious where the green spread for miles. Rolling hills and rows of grape harvest can all be seen from our beautiful gazebo. Its one of those places you start with a tasting and stay for an hour just idling at peace. Currently undergoing rennovations until april/​may so I never saw the inside, but looks quite grand from the front.
And the croquet was perfect bit of casual fun for sunday daydrinking. Neither of us had any idea what we were doing, made up half of our own rules, but it was such a splendid date idea, and could be expanded to 4 players per court. It’s free to rent and play, assuming there isn’t anyone else using the fields. Such a jolly good time!
The website requests for reservations (which I can see it beung necessary for the twice daily 90min tours and the 2pm cheese & crackers pairing), but they were able to fit in two tastings without issues.

This review should be based on an actual experience at this winery, but unfortunately that’s not the case. My friend made a reservation for wine tasting to accommodate a large group of us for her birthday. One day (ONE DAY) before our scheduled appointment, she gets a call from this place saying they have to cancel all reservations due to the ongoing construction.
Yes, I get you guys are doing construction– no biggie. But don’t confirm our reservation and then have us scrambling at the last minute to find another place that can fit our group. They could have told my friend on the day she called that we can be put on some sort of waitlist, and then call us at least a couple days before if they can accommodate us or not. But seriously barely 24 hours in advance and they had to cancel? Ridiculous. Will not bother to try this place out in the future. Sorry not sorry.

Honestly some of the best Chardonnay I have ever had! Tour guide staff is very friendly and knowledgable.
Beatiful grounds, area to play croquet and sit enjoy the view. Tour includes golf cart ride around the property and around the facility.

Nice white wines on a beautiful piece of property. Great to sit outside under the umbrellas by the croquet field. Wines are good but it’s almost exclusively whites with the exception of a Pinot Noir, which was also very nice. A beautiful relaxing venue with good wines.

I’m not a huge Chardonnay fan, and this winery’s focus on croquet is more than a little odd…
…but the grounds are lovely, the Chardonnay was delicious, and I’d be a liar if I said that I didn’t have a wonderful time playing croquet with a pleasant white wine buzz.
This is a really cool, albeit slightly, strange place — worth the stop.

Make a reservation before you come here!!! Sign says you must do that, but not knowing this we headed over. They were über accommodating — we lucked into availability for a tasting. Loved their Chardonnays (especially the first two). Great lake w tons of geese and was told we could play on their croquet court. We watched two of their members play. Very tranquil.

They let out wine sit out in the sun for our tasting instead of waiting for us to sit down. Tasted like vinegar. Gross.
I would add that over the course of a four day Napa trip with four other couples, this was the only vineyard where nobody bought any wine. The worst tasting experience of the trip hands down.
Would not recommend.

This winery is OK. We had a very long (TOOOO LONG) tour of the winery. It last 1 hour and 45 minutes long. Most are only an hour tops, if that. By the end of the tour I could tell most folks in my group were brain dead, tired, and burnt out from the tour. We had four complimentary glasses of wine (as part of our tour) but it was mostly all white wine, and i’m not a white wine person. What was cool about this place is that we were able to play croquet.
The place, the land is beautiful, and the staff is very nice, but just shorter wine tours may be more ideal.

I’ve been a fan of Sonoma Cutrer Vineyards for 20+ years now. This winery used to primarily specialize in Chardonnay, but they have recently expanded production into a Pinot Noir. I continue to be a huge fan of this winery!
Sonoma Cutrer Vineyards is located in Windsor, California, nestled between two very big wine fields. On the grounds of the vineyard is a very prestine croquet field where they hold annual world-​championship tournaments. Reservations for tasting is typically suggested, but not full required. $ 10 a person tasting room fee; 4 tastes.
We entered the tasting room and was greeted by Scott M., the vineyard’s Wine Educator. Scott has been with the vineyard for several years now and knows the history of the vineyard and all of the other distinguished wines in the region. When Scott was first hired (he was 2 Wine Educators picked out of almost 300+ applicants), he suggested that the tasting venue be a more formal experience. He got his wish. When you do a tasting, you sit at one of the five elaborate dining tables and place settings of 4 tastings are presented to you.
To start, there are four general grades of Chardonnay made at this vineyard: The first chardonnay is Sonoma Coast; typical table wine and can be found in your local wine shops or big stores like Target and BevMo, etc. $ 21 a bottle. The second (higher grade) chardonnay is the Russian River Ranches. The third chardonnay is the Cutrer. The fourth chardonnay is the Les Pierrer.
At the current tasting, there were 3 Chardonnays and 1 pinot noir presented. The first Chardonnay was the 2009 Russian River Ranches. This chardonnay is a very nice and crisp chardonnay, and has won something like 27 out of 27 years of «the best glass of chardonnay» in numerous taste tests. Flavors of honey, lavendar, mango, pineapple, and caramel. $ 23.00 a bottle.
The second Chardonnay was the 2007 The Cutrer Chardonnay. This was my favorite Chardonnay of the tasting set. This is a classic California chardonnay with tastes of kiwi, honeysuckle, crème, with hints of toasted almonds, caramel, and figs. To me, this chardonnay was buttery and smooth. $ 35.00 a bottle.
The third Chardonnay was the Les Pierrer Chardonnay. This wine is made in the traditional French style of wines with tastes of apple, sliced pear, butterscotch, grapefruit, and toasted nuts. This wine has character and a bit of an edge to it, which most people like. $ 32.00 a bottle.
The fourth tasting was 2007 Pinot Noir. I was FLOORED by this wine (in a good way). I’m not a big Pinot Noir drinker because I feel that the wine is typically very thin and lacks flavor. But, I tasted the Sonoma Cutrer Pino Noir and almost did a cheer! It has flavors of blackberries, anise, and rasberries. It has a very smokey taste. Scott mentioned that meny people who come to their vineyard for the chardonnays actually leave with the Pinot Noir. (I was one of them). $ 34.00 a bottle.
Scott M., the Wine Educator, knew that our group liked the Pinot Noir and he allowed us a taste of the Founder’s Reserve Pino Noir. WOW! The wine was full bodied and had a nice deep smokey fruit flavor on the back of the tongue, leaving residual hinds of fruit and nut after swallowing it. YUM! $ 50.00 a bottle.
Scott M. was perhaps the BEST Wine Educator that I’ve seen in Napa Valley and her surrounding mountains. He was very calm, intellectual, funny, and forthright with his presentation of wines. His presentation of the wines, the quality of the wines, and the classy service made our visit a great experience. We ended up purchasing 3 cases of the wines because it showed so much uniqueness and class.
Sonoma-​Cutrer Vineyards — I will continue to be a loyal fan of your vineyard. Job well done!