Wine Review: President Jefferson would be proud of today’s wines

Have you ever taken an interest in Thomas Jefferson? Not because he was one of the founders of our country or even as our third president, but as a wine lover who had dreams for the newly emerging country becoming a producer of fine wines?

As a collector and appreciator of fine wines, Jefferson imported grape vines from around the world to try to establish this country as a producer of quality wines. Unfortunately, the foreign vines failed miserably as they all died shortly after being planted in the New World. At that time, Jefferson did not know that the vines were killed by insects native to this country but unknown in Europe.

There was a reprieve of sorts as there were many varieties of grapes that were indigenous to the newly formed United States, and it was inevitable that wine would be made from them. Unfortunately, the wines from the indigenous grapes were not even close to the wines of Europe. Most of the wine that was made from the domestic grapes had a prominent under-flavor and aroma which winemakers have dubbed as “foxy.” For the curious, this foxy element is prominent in wines made from the Concord grape which are still being made and are usually inexpensive.

President Jefferson did not live to see his dream come true, but it has come true. When California was “discovered,” grape vines were found to be prolific there and being farmed by the Mexican residents who had been growing grapes and making wine there for decades. Many of the vines were the European varieties probably brought over by the Hispanic settlers of Mexico. These grew well in California. I suggest that you watch the 1940 movie “The Mark of Zorro,” which chronicles that period of time as well as being an exciting movie.

Although it took several centuries, California has made President Jefferson’s dream come true. There are currently districts within that state that are ranked among the finest wine grape-growing areas in the world, one among which is Sonoma County. That’s home of Sonoma-Cutrer, whose wines would surely have made Jefferson proud.

Sonoma-Cutrer 2021 Russian River Valley “The Cutrer” Chardonnay ($35)
Grapes for this wine came from a specially tended chardonnay vineyard called “The Cutrer.” This wine has been aged in oak barrels that impart an oak and vanilla sub-flavor and aroma to join the more obvious aromas and flavors of apples, apricots and pears. There is also the bread-like, yeasty component usually found in only the finest chardonnay wines, one of which this wine definitely is.

Sonoma-Cutrer 2022 Sonoma Coast Chardonnay ($25)
This version of the chardonnay grape offers the reader a chance to see for themself why the place the grapes were grown in is as important as the winemaking itself. All of the expected flavors and aromas are there but are presented in a slightly different manner than the “Cutrer.” The aromas of peach and nectarine, oak spice with hints of toasted nuts, and caramel are easily discernible, along with pear and apple. The finish is a fruit holiday displaying peach, apple, apricot and an under-flavor of honey, vanilla and oak.

Sonoma-Cutrer 2021 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir ($36)
Where there is chardonnay there will surely be pinot noir, and with Sonoma-Cutrer, there is. The color of this wine is darker than many of the California pinot noirs, and the aroma is an ever-changing display of black cherry, blackberry and plum with leather, coffee and clove in the background. The flavor, which centers on plum, blackberry, boysenberry and oak, is just as expansive and explosive as the aroma. This is an excellent wine, in every meaning of the term; it is big, it is regal and it sells for a price much lower than the other “premium” pinot noirs.

Wine columnist Bennet Bodenstein can be reached at frojhe1@att.net.