About this winery

Rodney Strong Vineyards is dedicated to Sonoma County. The winery was established in 1959 by Rod Strong, one of the first pioneers of the modern wine industry in California, as the 13th bonded winery in Sonoma County. Rick Sayre, current Director of Winemaking, joined in 1979. Since 1989, the winery has been privately owned by the Klein family, a fourth generation California agricultural family. Rodney Strong Vineyards grow and produce wines exclusively from four of Sonoma County's finest...

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Product notes

Davis Bynum is distinguished as the first winery to produce a single vineyard Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley. The vintage was 1973 and the grapes were from Joe Rochioli’s now prized vineyard. Today, our heritage of winemaking lives on through hand-crafted wines grown exclusively in Russian River Valley.

Production notes

The 2022 vintage was very mild. Rain from the previous autumn was light, and the new year entered warm and dry with daytime highs up to 70°F in early spring. Six clones from different blocks at River West Vineyard were fermented separately and underwent malolactic fermentation, creating creaminess and complexity, to create our 2022 River West Chardonnay. Clone 809 adds exotic notes to the wine while the Spring Mountain selection drives the floral tones and adds volume. The remaining varieties add a mélange of flavors, most notably, zesty citrus and green apple. French and Eastern European oak aging lifts the fruit and adds elegant complexity to the wine.

Tasting notes

Our River West Vineyard Chardonnay features enticing aromas of lemon curd, apple pie and graham cracker, along with flavors of baked golden apple, pie crust and a sweet floral undertone. French and Eastern European barrel aging brings a measure of dusty oak tones and notes of butterscotch, tempered by a balanced acidity. Enjoy this Chardonnay with a variety of salty cheeses, creamy soups or grilled pork chops.