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THE WINE TASTER
By Robin Garr
The Courier-Journal, April 6, 1988

     When Rodney Strong was a classical ballet dancer and choreographer back
in the 1950s, he was good enough to work with Balanchine at the New York City
Ballet and to dance at the Lido in Paris.
     Before middle age slowed his step, however, he decided to leap to
another profession offering "sensual hedonism:" He purchased land in Sonoma
County, Calif., and became a wine maker in 1959.
     Strong, who visited Louisville last month to meet local distributors
and retailers and to sell his wares, no longer controls the winery, but he
remains as its wine maker, and the winery, which later was renamed Sonoma
Vineyards, now bears his name.
     The winery has been through some rocky times, but Strong says it is now
in an exceptional position to survive -- and thrive -- in coming market storm
that may put California wineries to severe financial tests.
     As is usual in such matters, wine drinkers have caused the storm by
wanting more of a particular wine than grape growers can immediately
provide.
     The wine at issue this go-round is Chardonnay, a rich, white wine so
popular that it's in short supply even though its acreage in California has
nearly tripled in a decade, from 11,400 acres in 1976 to 29,319 acres in
1986, and has been increasing by as much as 3,000 acres a year recently.
     "I have never seen such a gold rush of grapes in my life," Strong said.
"It's really a seller's market -- prices are going crazy out there. If you
own a few acres of Chardonnay, you can pay off the pickup truck this
year."
     Growers are paying farmers premium rates to graft Chardonnay vines onto
less desirable rootstock such as Chenin Blanc and French Colombard, Strong
said, and demand has boosted the cost of Chardonnay grapes at the winery from
$600 to $1,200 a ton in the past couple of years.
     Given production and distribution costs, he said, it is impossible to
sell Chardonnay that costs $1,200 a ton for $5 a bottle, but a few of the
largest producers have vowed to do just that, even if they must take a loss
until the new vines come in, to "hold their place in the market."
     Most makers, on the other hand, will raise prices and risk a
competitive disadvantage.
     Except, he says, for Strong.
     "There isn't enough wine so prices are going to go up, no question
about it," he said, pausing a beat and adding, with a wolfish grin: "With one
notable exception, he said modestly."
     Based on what Strong calls "dumb luck, a fetish," for nearly 30 years
he has assembled Sonoma County land, believing a wine maker ideally should
grow his own grapes and make wine in the vineyards.
     Now he owns 1,600 acres free and clear, making him the largest grower
in Sonoma County. And, while competitors are paying four-digit prices for
grapes and selling the wine for $12 to $15, Strong picks his own grapes at
$395 a ton and sells excellent Chardonnay for less than $9.
     "It's an incredible advantage," Strong said, adding that he plans to
ride the advantage while he has it, knowing that nothing lasts long in a
seller's market.
     "California, such an incredible agricultural empire, has never failed
to overproduce anything for which there's a demand," he said. "One thing you
have to remember about the wine business, dear friends, is that nothing is
forever."
     Among today's tasting notes, I particularly recommend the 1986 Acacia
Napa Valley Chardonnay, one of California's best; the 1986 Fetzer California
Sundial, an exceptionally stylish low-price Chardonnay; and Strong's two
single-vineyard Chardonnays, 1984 Rodney Strong Chalk Hill and 1984 Rodney
Strong River West, both of which show the bold, full-flavored style that's
Strong's trademark.

(5 stars) Acacia Napa Valley Chardonnay, 1986. (Shar-doe-nay.) This clear,
brassy greenish-gold wine has a delicious smell of ripe apples, the classic
aroma of fresh Chardonnay fruit. Round, mouth-watering fruit and tart
lingering acidity are perfectly balanced and oak, if present, does its job of
smoothing the flavor without adding unneeded "woodiness" in a wine of
exceptional finesse. ($12.79)

(4 1/2 stars) Rodney Strong Chalk Hill Vineyard Sonoma County Chardonnay,
1984. This is a bright, almost brilliant gold wine with an exuberant
tropical-fruit aroma that mingles dates and figs. Its robust, powerful taste,
fueled by 13.8 percent alcohol, adds restrained oak and proper acidity in a
bold wine that's better described as Technicolor than subtly refined.
($8.69)

(3 1/2 stars) Rodney Strong River West Vineyard Russian River Valley
Chardonnay, 1984. This clear, bright-gold wine has a good, apple-like
Chardonnay scent with overtones of pineapple and butterscotch. Its
full-bodied flavor mingles tart fruit and perceptible oakiness, offering
little subtlety but a mouth full of good Chardonnay fruit. ($8.69)

(3 1/2 stars) Fetzer California Sundial Chardonnay, 1986. An excellent
vehicle for discovering Chardonnay at reasonable cost, this clear, bright
brass-colored wine offers a light but appealing scent of fresh apples and a
clean, simple taste of ripe wine grapes in a fresh, simple style, without the
nuances that oak or age impart. ($4.99)

(3 stars) Kendall-Jackson Vintner's Reserve California Chardonnay, 1986.
This clear, brass-colored wine has a light aroma as citric as lemons and
grapefruit and a soft, refreshing taste with an almost-tingly edge and only a
restrained hint of wood. ($8.59)

(2 1/2 stars) Christophe Vineyards California Chardonnay, 1986. This clear,
greenish-gold wine's pleasant aroma adds earthy overtones to apple-like
Chardonnay fruit. A twinge of too-sharp acidity overbalances the fruit in a
palatable but unexceptional wine. ($5.29)

(2 stars) Lost Hills California Chardonnay, non-vintage. This clear, light
greenish-gold wine has only a faintly fruity aroma and a light, not
unpleasant but neutral taste of fruit with crisp acidity that leads into a
less-attractive pungent aftertaste. It's drinkable with chicken or fish, but
there's little Chardonnay character here. ($2.69)

     "The Wine Taster" appears every other Wednesday in the Louisville
Courier-Journal Food Section. Wine and Food Critic Robin Garr rates table
wines available in the Louisville area, using a one- to five-star scale
determined by quality and value. Send suggestions or questions in care of The
Courier-Journal, 525 W. Broadway, Louisville, Ky. 40202, call [phone],
or send EasyMail to 73125,70.