Jason F.
Yelp
The wines remain strong and robust at Rodney Strong Vineyards! Located off the Old Redwood Highway in Healdsburg in the heart of Sonoma's wine country. Rodney Strong Vineyards has been around for over sixty years thanks to the establishment of the original winery Windsor Vineyards in 1959 with owners and winemakers Rod and Charlotte Strong. After decades of growing and reestablishing vineyards throughout the Sonoma Valley created some of the most awarded and recognized wines in the region, it was the purchase of the Rodney Strong Vineyards by the Klein family in 1989 that really elevated Rodney Strong Vineyards to the top tier level in winemaking, thanks to the innovation of winemaking equipment and techniques led by winemaker and owner Tom Klein. After previously having the chance to visit Rodney Strong Vineyards for a special invite-only food wine pairing out on their patio terrace many years ago, I have always wanted to make a return visit to Rodney Strong Vineyards to see the interior of their tasting room and sample their other more limited collection of wines. Luckily a friend and I would get that chance to do so recently when Rodney Strong Vineyards was promoting via social media a two for one purchase of their Introductory Flight which provided four of their delightful pours, and which reminded me that wines of Rodney Strong Vineyards remain as powerful as ever!
Making a reservation ahead of time via their Tock reservation website was super easy to make and entering in their coupon code and receiving 25 dollars off your initial charges was equally as easy to accomplish. Upon entry to their wine tasting room, which of course also serves as their main production facility and even gallery of the wineries' history, one will notice how modernist and monolithic their tasting room appears to be with all cement and no windows. Thankfully there is a warm living-interior that greets guests upon entry. There were two seats with a small table that was near their one doorway that had a glass window that my friend and I chose to sit at, and our tasting room associate Patrick made us feel at home with a welcome pour of their 2024 Alexander Valley Sauvignon Blanc. With a full and soft mid-palate that resembled that of a Fume Blanc, it should be noted that this wine does have contact with their oak barrels here at Rodney Strong Vineyards, and was a nice a crisp wine that some would call a porch pounder that could be chilled and enjoyed all on its own, but thanks to being served here had a little more class than that. When paired with a salmon entrée, or even a salmon niçoise salad, this wine is elegance in a glass.
For our next three pours we enjoyed three wines from their limited edition wines sourced from Rodney Strong Vineyards' sites in Russian River Valley and Knights Valley. We first enjoyed their 2023 Russian River Chardonnay, which provided for a nice balance of complex fruit thanks to its nice subtle lingering finish on the palate that led to a drier taste that was neither overly oaky or buttery. For our second pour, we enjoyed their 2023 Russian River Pinot Noir which had a lot of floral characters like rose and lavender on the nose that complemented the raspberry and cherry fruit character that came with every sip that came with very little tannins. Bold yet not overly complex, this is a rare Pinot Noir that could be enjoyed by the glass or bottle all on its own. For our fourth and final pour, we enjoyed their 2023 Knights Valley Cabernet, which was their most potent wine of all of our four pours, as you could definitely taste the tannins with this wine. Aged over a year and half in their French Oak barrels, the bouquet had a subtle dryness to it and you would definitely pair this robust wine with a heavier meal such as stew rich with flavors or a nicely cooked peppery steak. After four pours, our early morning tasting turned into an early afternoon tasting, as it is amazing how much you can accomplish in a couple of hours. Once our tasting was complete, Rodney Strong Vineyards made sure to send you and email stating that they have amended your tasting to include sales tax and an order fee, which was ambiguous at best what this was supposed to represent. Still, we both enjoyed our tasting at Rodney Strong Vineyards and would definitely come back to try additional pours, as they have earned their right to become a must-visit along the Russian River wine trail.