A few years back, the now-retired Rick Sayre described a novel concept for Rodney Strong Vineyards, where he presided as winemaker for more than three decades. Sayre called it a "winery within a winery."
The winery within the winery at Rodney Strong is called Rowen. The Rowen brand utilizes a unique new source of grapes, the Cooley Ranch in northern Sonoma County. What makes the 20,000-acre property unique is the rugged terrain, with steep hillsides and peak elevations above 2,000 feet.The Rowen vineyards cover about 200 acres of the property, with plots planted at elevations between 500 and 2,040 feet. The vineyards are mostly above the fog line (the Pacific Ocean is just a few miles to the west, as the crow flies) and therefore get plenty of sun. Ryan Decker, director of Estate Vineyards at Rodney Strong, adds, "the high altitude changes the vines, they produce more leaves and more leaves give you more ripening power."
The vineyards aren’t the only unique aspect of the Rowen red blend. Winemaker Justin Seidenfeld, who succeeded Sayre, has crafted a unique blend with the 2015 vintage. With 55 percent cabernet sauvignon and 26 percent malbec, it has all the best characteristics of a classic Bordeaux-style blend. The twist is a shot of syrah (17 percent) and viognier (2 percent) that has been co-fermented, a practice that is common in France’s Cote-Rotie district in the northern Rhone.The result is a suave red blend that is beautifully structured and shows complex layers of red and black fruits, beautifully integrated tannins and a scintillating thread of minerality. It is a stunning wine that retails for a modest (given the ambitious nature of the project) $55. And well worth it.
The 2015 Rowen red wine is supple enough to enjoy now, yet it possesses the structure and depth to improve over 20 years in the cellar. Rowen produced 2,250 cases in 2015.
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