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The Rodney Strong Charlotte’s Home Sonoma Sauvignon Blanc 2021 is sourced from vineyards in 38% Alexander County, 31% Dry Creek, 11% Russian River, 10% Arroyo Seco, and 2% Monterey County. For a wine to show Sonoma on the label as the place of origin for the grapes 85% of the grapes must be from Sonoma, so the 12% Monterey grapes make the cut.
Rodney Strong was a Broadway dancer and choreographer who in 1959 went west and started a winery. Back then a non-multi-millionaire could do such a thing. For the last 30 years, the Klein family has been in charge of the operation.
The Rodney Strong Charlotte’s Home Sonoma Sauvignon Blanc 2021 is unusual because 15% of the Sauvignon Blanc underwent malolactic fermentation and was barrel fermented in 100% new French oak. The typical value-priced Sauvignon Blanc is fermented in stainless steel vats with no malolactic fermentation.
This is a wine I found on sale for $9.99 and even 15% of the wine undergoing these production techniques is rare. A 100% stainless steel fermented Sauv Blanc offers a bright, fruit-forward wine. The French oak fermentation and the malolactic fermentation will add more depth and rounded flavors.
The Rodney Strong Charlotte’s Home Sonoma Sauvignon Blanc 2021 technical notes said that the 2021 vintage was one of the driest in recent memory. That usually indicates a shorter growing season, but the acidity levels in the grapes were too high to pick so harvest had to be delayed until the grapes achieved a balance.
This is the Rodney Strong winery’s entry-level wine, but they have added a few touches to raise this wine from the ordinary. The alcohol content is 13.5%.
The Rodney Strong Charlotte’s Home Sonoma Sauvignon Blanc 2021 Tasting Notes
The color is pale white gold. The nose is melon, lemon, green apple, peach, pear, dried pineapple, guava, honey, and lightly floral, the various scents have a bit of weight. The Rodney Strong Charlotte’s Home Sonoma Sauvignon Blanc 2021 is a more mellow version of Sauvignon Blanc, still full of flavor, but it hits your palate differently.
This Sauvignon Blanc tastes like a ripe apple, lemon curd, unsweetened pineapple, and grapefruit. The mid-palate adds that salty/nutty on-lees sensation, a little apricot, nectarine, faint tangerine, and a late splash of tart lime.
The acidity is bright and allows the flavors to fully unfold.
The Summary
- The Rodney Strong Charlotte’s Home Sonoma Sauvignon Blanc 2021 is a different, but delicious take on value-priced Sauvignon Blanc.
- To me, New Zealand and Loire Valley-style Sauv Blanc is a spring day in a bottle, bright, alive, and endlessly full of flavor.
- The Rodney Strong Charlotte’s Home Sonoma Sauvignon Blanc 2021 is a fall day in a bottle. All the flavors have matured and the wine has a darker tone but is still extremely tasty.
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