Rodney Strong Estate Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley 2005

Rodney Strong Estate Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley 2005
Region: Russian River Valley
Winery: Rodney Strong
Variety: Pinot Noir
Rating:

Supple in texture, with rose petal and red fruit aromas, this lively, medium bodied wine is aged in predominantly French oak, which adds a subtle, toasty vanilla character. Ideal for current enjoyment, this pinot noir will hold nicely over the next two to three years.
Rod Strong was among the first modern wine pioneers with a vision to plant pinot noir in the Russian River Valley. In 1968 he planted our heritage River East Vineyard in the alluvial clay-loam soils adjacent to the winery in Healdsburg. Today the Russian River Valley is well established as one of the premier pinot noir growing regions in the world, and we continue to rely on the original River East Vineyard as a core contributor to our estate vineyard bottling.
During the growing season, the Russian River Valley is greatly subjected to cool Pacific Ocean air, which is pulled in each afternoon as warm air in the interior valleys rises. This ocean air condenses, and the resulting nightly fog is slow to burn off, with vineyards frequently fogged-in as late as noon!
The 2005 vintage began with a rather late bud break during an unseasonably cool and wet spring. Record May rains luckily came before bloom for pinot noir, and an average to cool summer contributed to a harvest about three weeks later than normal. Fortunately harvest conditions were rain free with ideal temperatures for all varietals, and we finished bringing in our pinot noir by the 3rd of October.

2005 Acclaim:

Critic's Gold - Critic’s Challenge, International Wine Competition, June 2007
87 - Wine Enthusiast, April 2007
Gold - Hilton Head Area Hospitality Association WineFest, April 2007
Gold - Tasters Guild International Wine Competition, April 2007

Posted by thewinery on December 2nd, 2007 at 9:22pm | report comment