Rodney Strong Chardonnay

100% Chardonnay

Santa Barbara County

2018

About Rodney Strong

Since 1959, our passion has been to craft best in class wines in our sustainable winery to share with friends and family. Our family-owned winery is committed to quality wines and to protecting our resources for the future. We are solar powered, certified sustainable, practice Fish Friendly Farming and we were the first winery in Sonoma County to offset our carbon footprint. With an eye on the future, innovation in the cellar and the vineyards is at the heart of all that we do.

History

In our unwavering commitment to quality, we‘re proud of our Chardonnay
which features pristine fruit from cooler, coastal regions of California where Chardonnay thrives and displays its alluring and unique flavors and aromas.
Advances in viticulture outside of Sonoma and Napa in recent years have
resulted in higher quality grapes. By incorporating some of this fruit with our
Sonoma County grapes, we have created a better, more complex wine showing the diversity and balance of California Chardonnay regions.

Vintage and Vineyard

The winter rainy season was much drier than normal, however 2018 will be
remembered for its cool summer temperatures and minimal heat spikes. Daily
highs in Sonoma County in July and August peaked in the mid-80s followed by
cooler weather, delaying our decision to pick by several weeks. Large yields also meant longer hang time and complex flavors, as we waited patiently for the sugars to accumulate in the berries. We started harvesting our Chardonnay from the Russian River Valley on September 10 and finished all Sonoma County picks on October 13. The sandy loam soils and vineyards in Santa Barbara County and Monterey lend more tropical notes and are in even more windswept, cooler areas as well, which we picked from September 26 until October 29.

Tasting Notes

We barrel fermented 60% of this wine and aged that portion in barrel for 6
months, stirring the lees every month. This method offers the wine a touch of
spice and vanilla, while cold fermenting the remainder to maximize a fresh fruit-forward character. This Chardonnay displays aromas of lemon curd and apple with hints of toasty oak and baking spices. The finish is long and lingering with silky notes of fresh pear and pineapple. Enjoy this wine with grilled asparagus, seared tuna with a mango-avocado salsa or an apple and Brie grilled cheese.

Technical

Alcohol 13.5%
69% barrel fermented, 19% new
American and French oak barrels

WineChump Notes

The first thing we thought when we opened this Rodney Strong 2018 Chardonnay was, Meomi! Priced in the same range, this Chardonnay comes in a few dollars lower than our Chardonnay benchmark (see Meiomi Chardonnay). We like well-oaked Chardonnays and this one makes the mark.

Find this at Total Wine, Lowes Foods, Harris Teeter, and Wegmans
for less than $15.