This past fall, I was out in Sonoma County for an event, and a good friend of mine, Chris O’Gorman, invited me to stop by Rodney Strong (where he is the Senior Director of Marketing and Communications) to taste some new and pretty special wines.

Rodney Strong released three wines to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Davis Bynum label, and, by extension, five icons of Sonoma County and Russian River Valley winemaking.

Rodney Strong, a renowned dancer in the middle of the last century, first planted grapes in Sonoma County and opened Sonoma Vineyards (which would eventually become Rodney Strong Vineyards in the early 1980s) in the early 1960s, and was the first to plant Chardonnay in Chalk Hill in 1962. Rodney eventually sold his winery to the current owner, Tom Klein in 1987.

By any account, Davis Bynum was a pioneer in Sonoma winemaking, but he started out as a reporter for the SanFrancisco Chronicle. After a memorable bottle of red Burgundy, Bynum started making wine in his Bay Area home, eventually purchased 82 acres on Westside road near Healdsburg, and created his eponymous label in 1973, which focused on Chardonnay and Pinot Noir from the Russian River Valley. That inaugural vintage of Davis Bynum Pinot Noir was made exclusively with fruit from Rochioli Vineyard.

Davis Bynum and Greg Morthole, from davisbynum.com

Joe Rochioli, Jr., our third Sonoma pioneer, had a bit of a head start in the grape growing business, helping his father farm 50 acres vineyards that were planted in the late 1930s. But it was not until Joe Sr. died in 1966 that Junior planted the first Pinot Noir grapes on Westside Road in 1968. Over the next several decades, the family planted over 100 acre of new vines in the region, the majority Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Today, Joe Jr.’s son, Tom, has taken over the reigns and directs the farm and serves as the winemaker at J. Rochioli.

In 1964, Warren Dutton and his wife Gail purchased the original family plot of land near Graton, which was planted to 15 acres of apples and another 15 to French Colombard. Over the subsequent half-century, Dutton Ranch gradually expanded, and today, Joe and Steve Dutton, along with their mother, Gail, farm 1,00 acres of vines and another 200 of apples. Both of the sons have their own winery as well, Dutton Estate (Joe) and Dutton-Goldfield (Steve).

Our last pioneer, Charles Bacigalupi and his wife, Helen, purchased 121 acres on Westide Road in 1956. They soon planted some of the first Pinot Noir in the Russian River Valley and, eventually, some Chardonnay, the latter of which was sold to Château Montelena in the Napa Valley, which incorporated into their 1973 Chardonnay that would win the Judgment of Paris Tasting in 1976.

All these five pioneers came together in the tasting of three fantastic wines in the Rodney Strong private tasting room. I was fortunate enough to try them with winemaker Greg Morthole, who has been with Rodney Strong for two decades and help craft the first Rodney Strong-owned David Bynum wines with the guidance of Mr. Bynum himself.

2023 Davis Bynum Dutton Origins Chardonnay, Russian River Valley, CA: Retail $70. The fruit comes from the original plot of Wente Clone Chardonnay planted on the Dutton Ranch in 1967. Only 6 barrels (French oak, 67% new) of the wine were produced, where they were aged for 14 months. Rich and concentrated both on the nose and the palate. With lemon curd, Bosc pear, and evident oak (but well in line with the fruit) this wine starts to sing before the first sip. Rich but also reserved, elegant, balanced, and lovely. Outstanding. 93 Points.

2023 Davis Bynum Rochioli Vineyard Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley, CA: Retail $85. 50 cases produced. 100% Dijon Clone 115. Medium to dark in color with concentrated aromas of dark cherry and perhaps even raspberry, and red rose petal. Lovely. Touches of menthol and basil. Rich and spicy with impressive concentration and depth. A bit nervous, but juicy and expressive with a slight meaty side. Fantastic. Outstanding. 95 Points. 

2023 Davis Bynum Bacigalupi Vineyard Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley, CA: Retail $70. 100% Dijon Clone 667. Much darker fruit than the Rochioli, with more raspberry and even a bit of blueberry to go along with the black cherry. Richer and more intense perhaps than the Rochioli but still some similarities as the two vineyards are just a few ranches apart. Rich but tangy with a hint of tannin on the backend, this is pretty darned amazing. Yowza. This is on the big side of Pinot, but it’s gorgeous. Outstanding. 96 Points.