Spring In Northern California/ The Wines Of Rodney Strong Vineyards

Recently I visited Greg Morthole at Rodney Strong Vineyards. We first opened a number of Sav Blanc. Beautiful wines and true expression of this amazing grape. We will look at their website first and learn more about these wines and then invite you to share a glass or two of these wines,as we enjoy our new audio feature with winemaker Greg Morthole. We also will open the SB from Davis Bynum. Started in 1959 by Sonoma County pioneer Rod Strong and led by the Klein family since 1989, Rodney Strong Vineyards is a family of passionate people committed to crafting premium wines, great experiences and delivering a vision for sustainability in Sonoma County. We are united by our passion for wine and the belief that nothing brings people together better than sharing a great bottle of Rodney Strong wine. Fresh, bright and crisp, this Sauvignon Blanc is a wine of balance, richness and aromatic complexity. Leading with zesty citrus notes of grapefruit, Meyer lemon and a light grassiness, this wine gives way to more tropical fruit and melon characteristics. This classic Sonoma County style Sauvignon Blanc ends with clean, refreshing acidity and pairs beautifully with toasted brie, seared scallops, oysters with mignonette and fresh pasta with sweet peas and a lemon cream sauce. 2020 was notable for being another dry growing season, with only a few showers throughout spring, milder weather through most of the year and lower yields at harvest. The dry season and judicious irrigation resulted in smaller leaves and canopy area, allowing the fruit to acclimate to greater light exposure than is typical. With everything in balance, we harvested August 21-September 30. The Charlotte's Home Sb is the 2020 Vintage. We will also learn of the other great SB made by Rodney Strong. The Virginia's Block from Davis Bynum. Deep in the heart of the Russian River Valley, we have a five acre gem of Sauvignon Blanc. As a tribute to Davis Bynum's second love, who he found later in life, we named the five acres Virginia's Block. The vines are planted in east-west rows in shallow gravelly Huichica loam. The vines are cane pruned and trained to open up the canopy to allow the sunlight to touch the fruit. These fruit clusters turn golden through harvest, as the flavors become fully mature. 2020 was notable for being another dry growing season, with only a few showers in the spring, milder weather through most of the year, lower yields at harvest, and wildfires on the horizon. The dry season and judicious irrigation created smaller leaves and canopy area, so the fruit acclimated to receiving more light exposure than normal. We hand-picked Virginia's Block at 23.3 brix in the cool early morning hours of September 9. we also opened the 2019 vinetage of this great wine. Our winemaker is Greg Morthole. Asked to describe his approach to winemaking, Greg responds, “Mostly low impact, with the thinking that 98% of the work is done in the vineyard and at fermentation.” That’s perhaps a more humble answer than an accurate one, but Greg had the rare fortune to work alongside and learn from three of the legendary winemakers in California history: Rick Sayre, David Ramey and Davis Bynum. What does one learn from such highly regarded winemakers? “From Rick,” Greg says,” I learned to be honest about the wine, but find the positive and lend a voice to that. From David I learned to relax, don’t be too reactionary. And from Davis, to be humble and real and avoid telling the bookkeepers the true story if you need to.” There’s wisdom in that for just about every occupation. Now let's click below and enjoy our new audio feature with Grag Morthole. Cheers! Click here and join us as we enjoy great food and wine .