Skyping with Rodney Strong Winemaker Justin Seidenfeld at The Wine Store

Last night, we went to The Wine Store in Westerly to be part of Skyping with Justin Seidenfeld, the winemaker at Rodney Strong. The idea behind the Skyping was to taste 4 different Rodney Strong wines, the 2012 Charlotte's Home Sauvignon blanc, the 2012 Chalk Hill Chardonnay, the 2010 Knotty Vines Zinfandel and the 2010 Symmetry Meritage while Justin explained how the wines were made. Justin began the tasting with an explanation and the location of the vineyards that Rodney Strong wines are made from, since only great grapes make great wines.
I asked the question about the impact of the California drought on the vines, but Justin wasn't too concerned since their water is derived from well water. What their water is mostly used for is to protect the vines during bud break if a frost event occurs. The vines are sprayed with water which freezes, causing an exothermic reaction that releases heat, thereby protecting the young growth. Justin explained that they are in the middle of changing over from water to wind in order to become sustainable and green during these spring frost events. James Morrison poured the first wine which was the 2012 Charlotte's Home Sauvignon blanc and Justin explained that the wine was made in oak with batonnage. The vineyard is named after Rodney Strong's wife Charlotte. The next wine we tasted was the 2012 Chalk Hill Chardonnay. The wine is made in new French oak, again with batonnage. Justin also mentioned that when he went to Domaine Leflaive he learned that they put the finished wine in stainless steel tanks on it's lees until it is bottled. I could taste the oak in the Chardonnay, but it was very well integrated. We next had the Zinfandel and finished the tasting with the 2010 Symmetry

Meritage which Justin explained was a blend of the 5 Bordeaux grapes, Cabernet sauvignon, Cabernet franc, Merlot, Petit verdot and Malbec. We were able to ask Justin many more questions and he entertained us with stories about Rodney Strong. Justin is able to experiment with various grapes and is developing his own cuveé! He also explained how the weather conditions affected the ripening of the different varietals which leads to the differences in the various vintages. Justin explained that they also do tastings of other maker's wines in order to compare how their wines taste alongside their peers as well as how they compare with aspirational wines. It was an educational and entertaining evening. Kudos to James and Shannon for hosting such a good time!