Rodney Strong Vineyards is one of the larger Sonoma County producers. They’re also a consistent one, routinely turning out well made wines that speak of their Sonoma County origins. With all the boutique Wineries out there it sometimes becomes easy to focus on them and forget what the Rodney Strong’s of the world bring to the table.  Producers like Rodney Strong Vineyards serve an important purpose; not only do they make good wine consistently, often at a fair price, it’s also widely available. There are many places throughout our country that simply don’t have the ability to stock small boutique productions. So having larger producers who do make interesting, and reliable wines is important, because there sure are a lot of folks who are not making wines that inspire passion. Rodney Strong also makes some small production offerings, giving their portfolio nice variety for those who wish to delve deeper. Today I’ll look at the current release of their Charlotte’s Home Sauvignon Blanc.

The Rodney Strong Vineyards 2008 Charlotte’s Home Sauvignon Blanc is produced from fruit sourced at several of their Estate Vineyards. Fruit from the namesake vineyard in Alexander Valley is blended with selections from a couple of others in Alexander Valley and Russian River. This wine is 100% Sauvignon Blanc. 9% was fermented in French oak with the majority fermented in stainless steel tanks. The suggested retail price for this wine is $15.

Lemon ice, hints of lime and an overall mélange of citrus fill the nose of this 2008 Sonoma Sauvignon Blanc. The citrus circus continues through the palate; grapefruit and lemon are most prominent and underscored by orchard fruit such as Bartlett pear a wisp of granny smith apple and an array of spice notes. The finish is clean, crisp and refreshing with a lingering wallop of citrus and good punch of acidity to close things out. Pair this up with a variety of lighter fare or drink it on its own.

This is a classic example of Sonoma County Sauvignon Blanc. It’s also a selection that I preferred ice cold. The cooler temperature really seemed to help show off the citrus elements which are the backbone of this wine. This is another consistent and reasonably priced entry from Rodney Strong.

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Today I’ll look at the third Sauvignon Blanc from Dry Creek Vineyard. This is perhaps the varietal they are best known for. While the previous selections I looked at where single vineyard offerings, this is their county appellation, widely available, take on Sauvignon Blanc.

The 2007 Fumé Blanc is made from Sonoma County fruit. This wine is 100% varietal. This offering was fermented in stainless steel. Just less than 30,000 cases of this wine were produced and the suggested retail price is $14.50

Citrus peel emerges on the nose along with stone fruit and light but noticeable grass notes. The palate of this Sauvignon Blanc is rich and mouth-filling with a host of citrus, gooseberry and kiwi throughout. The finish is generous in length and loaded with continued citrus as well as tropical fruit notes. Mineral and spice notes also emerge and linger to the very last. This wine has excellent acidity and good balance. It’ll work well as an aperitif or paired with a wide range of lighter cuisine.

The lasting impression from this particular wine is of a Sauvignon Blanc that far outshines its price tag. There are countless Sauvignon Blanc’s in this price range. Few of them offer the amount of rich fruit, complexity, quality and overall pleasurable drinking experience that this fine example from Dry Creek Vineyard does. What I often find lacking in other Sauvignon Blanc’s in this neighborhood is that they can be out of whack. Either too much acidity or leaning too far towards the citrus or the grassy side. Thankfully this one has none of those issues. With close to 30,000 cases produced this one is going to be easy to find and likely for closer to $12.

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A couple of weeks back I looked at one of the Sauvignon Blanc’s from Dry Creek Vineyard. Today I’ll look at one of the others. They make three different Sauvignon Blanc’s. What’s impressive about that, is the distinction between them.

The 2006 Estate Fumé Blanc DCV3 from Dry Creek Vineyard is produced from fruit sourced in a single vineyard. The DCV3 stands, in fact, as the very first vineyard in Dry Creek Valley planted to Sauvignon Blanc. This wine was fermented in stainless steel. It’s made of 100% Sauvignon Blanc. 497 cases of this wine were produced and the suggested retail price is $25.

The nose of this Estate Sauvignon Blanc is predominately filled with grapefruit and lemon notes. Throughout the palate both citrus and grassy notes are resplendent. White pepper accompanies incredibly fresh citrus flavors from the mid-palate through the finish. That long, persistent finish has drying mineral notes and a final hint of grass. This wine is crisp, clean and buttressed by excellent acidity.

A couple of things stand out above everything else about this particular Sauvignon Blanc. First of all it does an excellent job of combining both the grassy and citrus laden sides of the varietal. That leads to the second thing that impresses me. This wine has a vast array of subtle layers and complexity that reveal themselves if you take the time to consider this wine.

Compared to the Musqué the DCV3 Estate Sauvignon Blanc is leaner and crisper. Each is impressive in its own right, it just depends on what you’re looking for. Stay tuned as I’ll look at a third Sauvignon Blanc from Dry Creek Vineyard later this month.

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Over  years the number  of wines on US shelves from South American countries has increased. Value, quality and availability often fluctuate. Some producers stay on the shelves and provide a consistent product year after year. In the case of today’s wine from Veramonte it hit US shelves in 1998, exactly a decade ago. Today I’ll look at their Sauvignon Blanc.

The 2008 Veramonte Sauvignon Blanc is made from fruit sourced in Chile’s Casablanca Valley. This wine is 100% varietal. This offering is fermented entirely in stainless steel. 70,000 cases of this wine were imported and the suggested retail price is $10.99.

The Veramonte Sauvignon Blanc  has a delicate pale straw color in the glass. The nose is filled with citrus and honeysuckle notes. It really wafts from the glass beckoning you in for a sip. Citrus notes along with gooseberry and honeydew melon are prominent throughout the palate. This Sauvignon Blanc finishes with a clean, crisp acidic bite. It satisfies and calls you back for another sip. This will be a nice wine as an aperitif or matched with lighter dishes such as an entrée salad or goat cheese puff appetizers.

If you’re a fan of Sauvignon Blanc made in a style that leans towards citrus flavors this is a good example to check out. This wine is often available for around $8 and with 70,000 cases imported it won’t be hard to find. A good bet as a house white. Vermaonte has been a consistent producer from Chile worth investigating from vintage to vintage.

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The last wine from Rodney Strong Vineyards I’m looking at right now is a Sauvignon Blanc. I find this to be a white varietal that really speaks of summer. There’s something about the crisp acidity and bold flavors featured in many Sauvignon Blancs that make them an excellent warm weather beverage.

The 2007 Rodney Strong Vineyards Charlotte’s Home Estate Sauvignon Blanc is sourced primarily the Charlotte’s Home vineyard with some fruit coming from other estate vines in Russian River & Alexander Valley. A small percentage of the fruit was fermented in Oak with the majority fermented in Stainless Steel. The suggested retail price for this wine is $14.

The 2007 Sauvignon Blanc from Rodney Strong has an immense nose filled with grapefruit, ripe bosc pear, Meyer lemon and subtle spice notes. The first thing that’s apparent when sipping this wine is that it’s in the citrus school of Sauvignon Blancs, not the grassy school. That tends to be my preference. Gooseberry, melon, and pear fill the palate of this wine which is very clean, crisp and refreshing. The mid-palate is incredibly rich, fruity and mouth-filling. The finish brings out mineral notes that linger, along with continued zest from the plethora of citrus notes. This wine will pair with light summer foods. Personally I liked this one better sipped on its own.

What I like best about this wine is that it’s essentially summer in a glass. All the bright fruit notes, underscored by some mineral and spice complexity speak to me of warm weather. While the suggested retail price is $14, this wine is widely available for closer to $10. If you like Sauvignon Blanc this is a nice value.

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Spier is a South African Winery who’s roots in the industry take back to the late 1600’s.  They make wines in as many as 6 different tiers. Prices, styles and intent range amongst the tiers. Over the next few days I’ll be looking at 4 wines in the Spier portfolio.

The 2005 Sauvignon Blanc is from the Private Collection. This is the highest rung on the Spier quality scale.  The wines at this level are from single vineyard plots and released in limited quantity each year assuming the selected grapes are up to snuff. Suggested retail price on this wine is approximately $28.

The nose of this wine opens with a lot of citrus which is underscored by a subtler but persistent grassiness. The first sip reveals and incredible fruitiness and well balanced acidity. This wine is rounder and more full bodied than the average Sauvignon Blanc. The mid palate continues the citrus theme with an undercurrent of pineapple and a touch of green pepper. The finish is long and persistent with spice notes closing things out.

For a Sauvignon Blanc that’s three years old as I write this, the Spier Private Collection is very fresh and lively. It has another 2-3 years of life ahead of it, assuming it’s well stored.

Truthfully I don’t often consider spending the sort of money on a Sauvignon Blanc that this wine goes for. That said it’s one of the more impressive and complex Sauvignon Blanc’s I’ve had in a long while. And while the retail is in the upper $20’s, this wine can be found for much closer to $20. At that price Spier is offering a wine that straddles the world of Sauvignon Blanc’s. It has the citrus associated with them in many parts of the world as well as some of the grassiness most often associated with Sauvignon Blanc emerging from New Zealand.

Up Next: Spier Private Collection Pinotage.

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