Russian River Valley · Sonoma County
Visit Sonoma-Cutrer with a Private Chauffeur
The Russian River Ranches Chardonnay that has been a restaurant favorite for more than 30 years. Sonoma-Cutrer does not receive visitors; here is what to know, and a day at sought-after estates nearby that do host.
Book a Six-Hour Wine Tour
About the Winery
Sonoma-Cutrer was founded in 1973 by Brice Cutrer Jones, whose middle name it carries, and released its first wines in the early 1980s. Brown-Forman bought the winery in 1999, and in 2024 it was acquired by The Duckhorn Portfolio. For years the Windsor estate was also known for its tournament croquet lawns, home of the Sonoma-Cutrer World Croquet Championship.
The focus has always been Chardonnay, made with Burgundian methods and aged in French oak, with Pinot Noir added later. Six estate vineyards across the Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast supply the wines: The Cutrer, Les Pierres, Vine Hill, Owsley, Kent and Shiloh. Select lots go into single-vineyard bottlings such as The Cutrer and Les Pierres, and the rest into the Russian River Ranches and Sonoma Coast Chardonnays. The Russian River Ranches bottling has been one of the most popular Chardonnays on American restaurant lists for more than 30 years.
In May 2025 Duckhorn closed the Sonoma-Cutrer tasting room in Windsor to focus on wholesale, keeping the winery and the Club Cutrer wine club. The wines are easy to find in restaurants and stores, and the website has a wine locator. For a day built around great Russian River Valley Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, we take guests to small estates nearby that do open their doors.
Tasting Fees
Sonoma-Cutrer does not offer tastings.
Tasting fees as of September 2026. Wineries set and collect their own fees, and they change from time to time.
At a Glance
Location
4401 Slusser Road, Windsor
AVA
Russian River Valley
Visiting
Sonoma-Cutrer does not offer tours or tastings. Its tasting room in Windsor closed in 2025, and its website lists no visitor hours.
Known For
Russian River Ranches Chardonnay, and single-vineyard Chardonnays such as The Cutrer and Les Pierres
Founded
1973
Good to Know
There is no tasting room or visitor program. The wines are sold in stores and restaurants, online, and through Club Cutrer, the winery's club for member-only wines and events.
A Suggested Six-Hour Day
Pickup at 9:50 a.m. from a Russian River Valley hotel such as Farmhouse Inn in Forestville or Vinarosa in Santa Rosa.
9:50 · Pickup at Farmhouse Inn or Vinarosa
Farmhouse Inn, a 25-room inn on River Road in Forestville, is about 25 minutes from Croix Estate, and Vinarosa, set among 92 acres of vineyards in Santa Rosa, about 15. Since Sonoma-Cutrer does not host visitors, this day takes you to three sought-after estates nearby that do. The day below fits a six-hour tour, and extra time can be added by the hour.
10:15 · Croix Estate
About 25 minutes away. Winemaker Kirk Venge, raised in a Napa Valley winemaking family, makes single-vineyard Pinot Noir and Chardonnay here, several of them scored 96 points. Each visit is hosted individually in a relaxed farm setting: eight or nine current releases over about 90 minutes for $45, waived with a purchase. Advance reservation only.
12:10 · Lunch at Willow Wood Market Cafe
About 25 minutes away. A café, soda fountain and general store at the center of Graton since 1995, serving down-home comfort food on a remodeled patio or inside. Lunch from 11:30 a.m., with brunch on Sundays. Prefer a picnic? We can arrange a catered picnic at a winery that allows one; the cost is quoted when you book.
1:30 · Kistler Vineyards
About 20 minutes away. One of California's most celebrated Chardonnay houses, founded in 1978 and sold mostly to its mailing list, which hosts a small number of guests in a restored farmhouse and barn. The Five-Wine Tasting of four single-vineyard Chardonnays and a Pinot Noir is $175, 60 to 75 minutes. By appointment, Tuesday to Saturday; 21 and over.
3:00 · Gary Farrell
About 15 minutes away. Gary Farrell's hilltop winery above the Russian River; he made his first wines in 1982 from Rochioli and Allen vineyard Pinot Noir. The Discovery Tasting Flight of single-vineyard wines is served outdoors with sweeping views of the valley, about 90 minutes ($55). Open daily 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.; reservations encouraged; 21 and over.
4:30 · Back to your hotel
Back in Forestville or Santa Rosa by 5:05 p.m.
Three wineries is the right pace for a day of serious tasting. Kistler hosts Tuesday to Saturday and seats in the early afternoon, so this day works Tuesday to Saturday, with an early lunch, and ends around 5.
About $275 per person in tasting fees for the three wineries, paid directly to each winery.
Every tour is custom. This day is a starting point: your chauffeur will shape it around what matters to you, and we plan multi-day tours for guests who want to see more of wine country.
Your Vehicle & Six-Hour Tour Rates
Up to 6 guests
Elite Luxury SUV
Lincoln Navigator or Cadillac Escalade
From $750
Six-hour wine tour, plus 20% gratuity. Additional hours $125 each.
Up to 9 guests
Jet Sprinter or Executive Luxury Van
Captain's chairs and room to spread out
From $1,350
Six-hour wine tour, plus 20% gratuity. Additional hours $225 each.
Larger groups travel in more than one vehicle, and we plan the winery appointments around your group, since many wineries limit groups to 6 to 8 guests. Tasting fees are separate and paid directly to each winery. Every tour starts with six hours; add time by the hour when you book.
Questions
Can you visit Sonoma-Cutrer?
No. Duckhorn closed Sonoma-Cutrer's Windsor tasting room in 2025, and the winery does not offer tours or tastings, as of September 2026. We can plan a day at estates nearby that do host.
How can I buy Sonoma-Cutrer wine?
In stores and restaurants across the country, online from the winery, or through Club Cutrer, its wine club. The website has a wine locator.
Who owns Sonoma-Cutrer?
The Duckhorn Portfolio, which bought it in 2024. Brown-Forman owned it from 1999.
Where is Sonoma-Cutrer?
In Windsor, in the Russian River Valley, with estate vineyards in the Russian River Valley and Sonoma Coast.
What is Sonoma-Cutrer known for?
Chardonnay, above all the Russian River Ranches bottling, one of the most popular Chardonnays on restaurant lists for more than 30 years.
How does booking a tour with Bien Chauffeured work?
Reserve a six-hour tour online, even if your plans are still taking shape. Your chauffeur will email you first to learn what matters to you, then build your itinerary and make the winery appointments. Extra hours can be added.
Reserve Your Tour Now, Plan the Details Later
Your plans don't need to be final to book. Reserve your six-hour tour online, and your chauffeur will email you first to learn what matters to you, then build your itinerary and make the winery appointments. Prefer to talk? Call our concierge at 888-291-2328.
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