Rodney Strong Upshot White Blend 2018
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Wilfred
Wong -
Wine
Enthusiast
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Winemaker Notes
This bright wine bursts with aromas of white peach, jasmine blossom and apricot. Flavors of melon, peach and wet stone minerality followed by a crisp full finish. Blend: 27% Chardonnay, 21% Grenache Blanc, 18% Gewurztraminer, 17% Pinot Noir, 11% Viognier, 6% Sauvignon Blanc
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: For a venerable winery, with long-standing successes, Rodney Strong continues to roll out new and exciting wines. The 2018 Rodney Strong Upshot White—a recent addition to the winery's line—is quite an impressive wine. TASTING NOTES: This wine is a blend of six grape varieties, and it is a beautifully refined wine. Its aromas and flavors of ripe fruit, sandalwood, and mineral should pair it well with pan-fried sand dabs and capers. (Tasted: August 12, 2019, San Francisco, CA)
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Wine Enthusiast
This blend of Chardonnay, Grenache Blanc, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Noir, Viognier and Sauvignon Blanc is bright and crisp in feel. Bursting in persistent acidity, it lingers in tones of honeysuckle and green apple.
Other Vintages
2019-
Wilfred
Wong
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Wilfred
Wong
Founded by wine industry pioneer, Rod Strong, in 1959, Rodney Strong Vineyards is now owned by the Kleins, a farming-based family that prides itself on land stewardship and a relentless push for superior wine quality from Sonoma County. After purchasing the company in 1989, Tom Klein began the endeavor that today brings together excellent vineyards, the industry's finest winemaking equipment, and exceptional talent. The winery farms and sources grapes from vineyards throughout Sonoma County, focusing on Alexander Valley, Russian River Valley and Chalk Hill. Rodney Strong Vineyards is best known for its estate-bottled and vineyard-designated wines, and is also recognized for their sustainable and Fish Friendly Farming, dedication to solar energy production and becoming carbon neutral in 2009.
With hundreds of white grape varieties to choose from, winemakers have the freedom to create a virtually endless assortment of blended white wines. In many European regions, strict laws are in place determining the set of varieties that may be used in white wine blends, but in the New World, experimentation is permitted and encouraged. Blending can be utilized to enhance balance or create complexity, lending different layers of flavors and aromas. For example, a variety that creates a soft and full-bodied white wine blend, like Chardonnay, would do well combined with one that is more fragrant and naturally high in acidity. Sometimes small amounts of a particular variety are added to boost color or aromatics. Blending can take place before or after fermentation, with the latter, more popular option giving more control to the winemaker over the final qualities of the wine.
Home to a diverse array of smaller AVAs with varied microclimates and soil types, Sonoma County has something for every wine lover. Physically twice as large as Napa Valley, the region only produces about half the amount of wine but boasts both tremendous quality and variety. With its laid-back atmosphere and down-to-earth attitude, the wineries of Sonoma are appreciated by wine tourists for their friendliness and approachability. The entire county intends to become a 100% sustainable winegrowing region by 2019.
Sonoma County wines are produced with carefully selected grape varieties to reflect the best attributes of their sites—Dry Creek Valley’s consistent sunshine is ideal for Zinfandel, while the warm Alexander Valley is responsible for rich, voluptuous red wines like Cabernet Sauvignon. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are important throughout the county, most notably in the cooler AVAs of Russian River, Sonoma Coast and Carneros. Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot and Syrah have also found a firm footing here.