Rodney Strong Vineyards

Rodney D. Strong founded the winery that bears his name in 1959, making it Sonoma County's 13th bonded winery at a time when the region was still primarily a jug-wine appellation. Strong was a Sonoma County wine pioneer, the first to make a Chalk Hill appellation Chardonnay and an early champion of the Russian River Valley and Alexander Valley as serious wine country. Tom Klein and the Klein family, a fourth-generation California farming family, purchased the winery in 1989 and have run it ever since, dramatically expanding the estate vineyard holdings and committing the operation to sustainability long before it became fashionable (environmental protection was written into company values in 1994; Rodney Strong installed the wine world's first large solar panel system in 2003).

Today Rodney Strong farms 12 estate vineyards across Alexander Valley, Russian River Valley, Chalk Hill, Dry Creek, and Sonoma Coast: the most geographically diverse estate portfolio in Sonoma County. Justin Seidenfeld serves as Chief Winemaking & Operations Officer, with Olivia Wright as Director of Winemaking and Greg Morthole as Winemaker. The tasting room and winery, just south of Healdsburg on Old Redwood Highway, sits within Russian River Valley vineyards, the same vineyards that produce the celebrated Chalk Hill, Russian River Chardonnay, and Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir programs. Open Thursday through Sunday; walk-ins are welcome when space allows before 3 p.m., reservations are required for parties of 7 or more, and leashed dogs are welcome on the Terrace and Green. Tastings range from current-release flights on the Terrace to wine-and-food experiences and Concert Green events throughout the year.