Slow, long cooking is the key to making this dish meltingly tender. To make it even more Mexican, shred the meat with its juices and then roll up in warm tortillas along with shredded cabbage, chopped avocados, tomatoes, sweet white onion, some cilantro leaves and lime wedges to squeeze juice over. Another option is to shred or “pull” the meat, with its juices and serve on small hamburger buns this is one of the best “sliders” you’ll ever have! Like all great braises and stews, this gets better when reheated. Also by making ahead and refrigerating you can more easily remove and discard fat that will rise to the surface. If you own a crock pot this is a great recipe for this useful appliance. All in all a great recipe to share for game day!

A homey, easy-to-do dish that would be perfect for game day!

Literally “cheese and pepper” this is one of the iconic recipes of Rome. It’s a stripped down macaroni and cheese that relies on good simple ingredients.

Sustainable farm raised trout are readily available in the market. This recipe would work well with any fresh herbs you have on hand. For example, easily substitute rosemary for the sage and parsley for the mint. You could serve the trout as is or make onions agrodolce to serve with it, which are also featured in the recipe. A rich and bright Sonoma-Cutrer chardonnay, such as Les Pierres, makes the perfect pairing for this dish.

It took the vision and expertise of our former and present head winemakers to make Legacy the truly unique, limited availability cuvée it is.

WILLIAM BONETTI, SONOMA-CUTRER 1981-1991

William Bonetti has dedicated over forty years to winemaking and his distinguished career covers much ground. Raised in northern Italy and educated at the venerable Conegliano School of Viticulture, Mr. Bonetti brought a traditional and formal winemaking background to America with him at the age of eighteen. In California’s Central Valley, Mr. Bonetti worked as a chemist with E. & J. Gallo and Cresta Blanca. Working as a winemaker at Charles Krug with Robert and Peter Mondavi, Mr. Bonetti developed methods to press grapes while cold, to transfer wine with inert gas, and to barrel ferment Chardonnay — the first such undertaking in America. From Krug, he was hired to design and operate the new Chateau Souverain facility, where he helped pioneer the production of fine wines in Sonoma County. Mr. Bonetti’s crowning achievement was the design and operation of the Sonoma-Cutrer winery. At Sonoma-Cutrer, beginning in 1981, he brought to bear his wealth of knowledge and experience to produce Chardonnay from five estate vineyards under three distinct labels. For ten years, he used grape chilling, sorting, whole cluster pressing, barrel fermentation and various oxygen reduction techniques to make Chardonnay wine exclusively.

TERRY ADAMS, SONOMA-CUTRER 1991 – 2010

Terry Adams became Director of Winemaking with the harvest of 1991. Prior to his appointment as Director, Terry had worked as Assistant Winemaker and Cellarmaster to William Bonetti at Sonoma-Cutrer since the inception of the winery in 1981. Before coming to Sonoma-Cutrer, Terry apprenticed under the direction of Mr. Bonetti at Chateau Souverain. From 1981 to 1991, Terry helped produce every bottle of Sonoma-Cutrer Chardonnay. During the same interval, he had a hand in the development of much of the “state of the art” equipment and processes at the winery. Terry was intricately involved in all of the Sonoma-Cutrer’s pioneering work with malo-lactic cultures, spontaneous fermentations, barrel toasting, bottling techniques and vineyard development. He also played a pivotal role in implementing Sonoma-Cutrer’s Grand Cru Program, overseeing essential projects from the crafting of the barrels in France from oak trees to bottling the first vintage of The Cutrer without fining or filtration. Terry’s entrepreneurial spirit led him to plant the first vines of Pinot Noir in the Cutrer Vineyard. Terry utilized his Grand Cru approach to winemaking to create a style of Pinot Noir that was the perfect second varietal offering to Sonoma-Cutrer’s portfolio. Over the years, Terry honed his own style and philosophy to winemaking. His goal was to always “make wines that exemplify the character of the vineyards, that are fresh and lively, yet at the same time focused, balanced and structured.”

MICHAEL “MICK” SCHROETER, SONOMA-CUTRER 2010 – PRESENT

Michael “Mick” Schroeter’s decorated and storied wine background made him superbly qualified to serve as only the third head winemaker in the history of Sonoma-Cutrer. Winemaking is often a trade passed down from generation to generation, and Mick Schroeter is no exception. Starting out on his own as an oenologist at Kaiser Stuhl winery in Australia, Mick wanted to blaze his own trail and had no intentions of following in his father and uncle’s footsteps at the Penfolds Winery. Then in 1982, as fate would have it, Penfolds bought Kaiser Stuhl and reunited Mick with the family in the business. Mick rose rapidly through the Penfolds system and had the privilege to be part of their red winemaking team, eventually working on Penfolds’ legendary Grange Hermitage, the benchmark of Aussie Shiraz. From there, Mick accepted an invitation from Geyser Peak Winery in California to take over as Vice President of Winemaking where he stayed for 17 years. It is his long track record of success and illustrious career in Australia and California, along with twice being named “Winemaker of the Year” at the London International Wine & Spirit Competition, that gave Mick the encompassing experience to take the reins at Sonoma-Cutrer. He considers it one of the industry’s true dream jobs and is honored to carry on the brand’s storied legacy.

For over thirty years, Sonoma-Cutrer has been dedicated to the pursuit of excellence in our wines, specifically Chardonnays. Behind this almost singular focus is a story about serendipity, place and the pursuit of perfection. By design, a large part of the Sonoma-Cutrer story and rich history has relied on the talents of our winemaking team.

It is a fairly amazing and little known fact that since our inception the winery has only had three Directors of Winemaking. Each of these individuals has had their own indelible influence on the wine, the process and the continuation of Sonoma-Cutrer’s heritage. Each has strived to improve upon the efforts of their predecessor, while never deviating from the original winemaking philosophy or the signature Sonoma-Cutrer style.

The Sonoma-Cutrer vision has always kept the winemaking team at the forefront pursuing excellence through technology and innovation. After years of being dissatisfied with cork “tainted” wines, Terry Adams, Director of Winemaking (1991-2010), made the unprecedented decision to seal our most distinctive Chardonnay, the limited 1999 Founders Reserve Chardonnay, with a screw cap closure. As this wine is designed for prolonged cellaring, Founders Reserve has to show potential for in-bottle development. Terry’s extensive research on the subject of closures led him to the conclusion that screw cap technology was the best option available for fine wine because it guaranteed an air-tight closure for up to 20 years without the risk of cork taint.

Today, Sonoma-Cutrer continues to bottle its most premium expressions utilizing screw cap closures, including our most selective release to date – the 2012 Winemaker’s Release Legacy. Our closure choice ensures that this elegant wine will continue to bottle-age for years to come allowing the wine to reach new heights of perfection.