Vineyards are
the heart of every great winery and that's true with Rodney Strong
Vineyards. Rodney Strong Vineyards was one of the first wineries
in Sonoma County to vineyard-designate its wines and given it's
resources, that shouldn't be surprising.
The winery draws on vineyards throughout Northern Sonoma County
for its Sonoma County varietals, focusing on the Russian River,
Alexander and Dry Creek Valleys and the Chalk Hill appellation.
The winery is best known for its estate-bottled, vineyard-designated
wines.
Alexander's
Crown Vineyard - 77 acres, Established 1971
Rising a couple
hundred feet above Alexander Valley, "The Crown" is likely
Sonoma County's best known Cabernet vineyard and was one of California's
first vineyard designated wines when it debuted following the 1974
harvest. About 77 acres is currently planted, all Cabernet except
6 acres of Merlot and 5 acres of Cabernet Franc.
The most visible soils are red volcanic with some gravelly loam
in the lower sections of the slopes. Winemaker Rick Sayre calls
it a "little" kind of vineyard - it gets a little more
sun, produces a little less crop (averaging just 3 tons per acre),
takes a little longer to ripen, has a little more acidity. It adds
up to a lot more intensity of both color and flavor with distinctive
black current flavors and a special taste of the soil.
Charlotte's
Home Vineyard - 36 acres, Established 1971, replanted 1991 and 1994
Tucked
between the eastern bank of the Russian River and Alexander's Crown,
this vineyard location seems tailor-made for flavorful Sauvignon
Blanc. The soil is mostly well-drained sandy loam with some gravel
along the river. The fruit grows in warm Alexander Valley days cooled
by ocean fog and the river's moderating influence. The resulting
wines lean in the direction of pear, melon and tropical fruit rather
than the grassy/herbaceous styles of other growing areas.
River
East Vineyard - 15 acres, Established 1968
Few growing regions
can claim the distinctiveness that the Russian River Valley stamps
on Pinot Noir. Hints of cherry and spice and a softness of texture
combine to create a sensual, delicious style of wine. The 15-acre
River East Vineyard is alongside the winery and, as the name suggests,
just east of the Russian River with its influences. Fog from the
ocean, less than 30 miles away, further moderates the cool temperatures
that Pinot Noir likes. Soils here are Haire clay loam, similar to
much of Carneros, and soil and climate work together to produce
3 1/2 or so tons per acre of estate Pinot Noir.
Chalk
Hill Vineyard - 74 acres, Established 1971
Creekside Ranch - Chalk Hill - 45 acres, established 1998
Rodney Strong Vineyards was the first to designate a wine from the
Chalk Hill appellation in northern Sonoma County after planting
Chardonnay here in the mid 1960's and early 1970's. Named after
its fast-draining white calcareous soil, this light colored volcanic
earth has a low pH and high acid. Combining with the area's cool
temperatures, Chalk Hill Vineyard soils produce low yields and wines
with dual personalities. Picked at just under 22 brix, its Chardonnay
is crisp and flinty; picked just over 23 it becomes forward and
floral. A blend of the two is used to produce Rodney Strong Vineyards
Chalk Hill Chardonnay.
In addition to the vineyard-designated wines, Rodney Strong Vineyards
also owns these vineyards which produce fruit for the winery's Sonoma
County varietals:
Cake
Ranch - Alexander Valley - 47 acres, Est. 1973
Cabernet
Sauvignon - 25 acres
Merlot - 22 acres
Hubbard
Ranch - Alexander Valley - 39 Acres, Est. 1979
Zinfandel
- 26 acres
Sauvignon Blanc - 13 acres
Wild Oak Ranch - Alexander Valley - 142 acres, Est. 1997
Cabernet
Sauvignon - 127 acres
Merlot - 10 acres
Cabernet Franc - 5 acres
Pine
Flat - Alexander Valley - 26 acres, Est. 1996
Merlot
- 26 acres
Jane's Vineyard - Russian River Valley - 195 acres, Original
planting 1972
Sauvignon
Blanc - 42 acres
Chardonnay - 58 acres
Pinot Noir - 95 acres
Rodney Strong also has viticultural control over several other of
Sonoma County's finest vineyards in the Alexander Valley, Russian
River and Dry Creek Valleys as sources of Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay,
Merlot and Pinot Noir. Best-known among these is a 90-year-old 10-acre
block of Zinfandel in the winery's River West Vineyard on Russian
River benchland a mile west of the winery, the core of Rodney Strong's
Knotty Vines Zinfandel, which also includes selected lots from small
leased vineyards in the Alexander Valley near Geyserville and Cloverdale.
11455
Old Redwood Hwy.
Healdsburg, CA 95448
(800) 678-4763
Tasting: Yes 10AM-5PM Daily
Tours: Yes 11AM and 3 PM
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