Sonoma Cutrer, Grace Cunnane, and www.inthehoodsf.com

November 10, 12:30 PMWine ExaminerLeslie Cramer

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Call it fate, call it chance.  Either way, things have a funny way of coming together, in the 'small world' sense.  I was contacted by a lady from San Francisco who regularly reads my posts.  What caught her eye was my postings on Hurricane Omar and it's devastion to St. Croix, my island home; and where just by chance Grace Cunnane has a sister who lives.  She landed on the island the day after the storm and thought to interview me on my storm experience and what I (we) had gone through.  We ended up having dinner together at a gorgeous setting, the beachside restaurant at Chenay Bay.  Our waiter was outstanding, the weather ideal, and the wine--chosen by Grace--was magnificent.   Through our chat we ended up finding out we had a lot in common, most noticably where she had summered as a teenager and where I had grown up, the Jersey Shore town of Bay Head.

Grace writes a blog about her 'hood in San Francisco, she interviews various 'characters' on the block and surrounding areas.  It sounds like a multi-ethinic community, with lots of folks having lots to say, all of it good stuff.  Check her out at inmyhoodsf.com.

Oh yea, and the fabulous wine was Sonoma Cutrer Russian River Ranches Chardonnay, one of the best white wines I've had in a good long while.

Russian River Ranches

Sonoma Coast - Estate-Bottled Chardonnay

Russian River Ranches is a cuvée crafted from several estate vineyards, each contributing its own distinct personality. The gentle elevation, moderate temperatures and fine sandy clay loam of Vine Hill make it ideal for growing Chardonnay. Owsley Ranch stands closest to the Pacific and is influenced by cooling fog pushing through Bloomfield Gap each day. The soils at Shiloh reflect an ancient seabed and volcanic ash that changed our topography eons ago, while Les Pierres is situated atop an old rock quarry that imparts a flinty mineral character. Vines rooted in clay at Kent Vineyard are cooled morning and night by fog, allowing for extended maturation, while the vines at the Cutrer Vineyard struggle through soils marked by the eruptions of Mt. St. Helena.

Pretty aromas of jasmine and rose petal give way to tropical fruits like pineapple and mango. Roasted hazelnut joins nougat and almond butter, finishing with a touch of lime and lychee. Medium-weight and clean with a wonderful acid backbone, the wine expands in the glass, offering up grapefruit, lemon, pear and kumquat with subtle vanilla bean and herbal mushroom. The lingering finish displays hints of minerality, along with apple, lime and a surprising kiss of strawberry. A market basket of aromas and flavors.

Pairing tip: A perfect complement to poultry, fresh sea bass or halibut - especially when finished with cream or butter - or rich, buttery cheeses like young Gouda.

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