Rodney Strong Vineyards

Rodney Strong Vineyards is a Sonoma County winery deeply rooted in the rise of the Sonoma and greater California wine industries. Founder Rodney Strong is often regarded as a pioneer of Sonoma wine with several significant regional firsts associated with him and the winery. The winery is now one of the largest operations in the region and has a number of collections at a range of price points and styles, mostly made from common California varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

Strong founded the winery in 1959, initially buying bulk wine to be bottled and sold under the label Tiburon Vintners. In 1962, Strong bought a winery and vines and formed Windsor Vineyards, eventually changing its name to Rodney Strong Vineyards. It was the first winery to produce single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon out of Alexander Valley and a Chalk Hill-designated Chardonnay, and was one of the earliest cultivators of Pinot Noir in Sonoma. In 1989, the Klein family, fourth-generation winemakers, bought Rodney Strong Vineyards, keeping Strong on as a consultant until his retirement in 1995.

The winery now has 14 estate vineyards and has a commitment to environmentally friendly practices. While its catalog of wines is fairly large, its successes have been from the Burgundy and Bordeaux varieties Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and these remain the backbone of its production. In 2013, Rodney Strong Vineyards was named winery of the year by Wine Enthusiast magazine.