Rodney Strong Vineyards

Douglas McIlroy grew up in Sonoma County agriculture. He has over thirty years of winegrowing experience and a B.S. in Plant Science and a B.A. in Economics from the University of California at Davis. His exemplary skills were honed as a grower relation’s representative at some of Sonoma and Mendocino counties’ finest wineries. 

 

McIlroy joined Rodney Strong Vineyards in 2001. His responsibilities include overseeing viticulture practices of the winery’s estate vineyards, grower relations, and grower contract negotiations. In addition to the estate properties, McIlroy also oversees long-term vineyard contracts.

With a relentless pursuit of the highest quality attainable, Doug constantly evaluates vineyards by tasting through wine lots with winemakers Rick Sayre and Gary Patzwald. This process allows them to work closely with estate vineyards and growers to set quality benchmarks and influence viticultural practices. Doug says “I recognize that every vineyard site has a maximum potential for quality and I’m driven to achieve that through viticulture. I believe that tending vines should be based on a strong understanding of plant physiology, which in turn will produce significant and meaningful increases in wine quality.”

 

Along with his family, McIlroy has owned and operated the Aquarius Ranch in Healdsburg, California for 33 years, growing wine grapes for a number of high-end producers including, De Loach Vineyards, Rochiolli Vineyards and Rodney Strong Vineyards.

 

Doug resides just up the road from the winery in Geyserville, California. And, when he’s not in the vineyard, there’s a good chance you’ll find him with his fly rod at the nearest fishing hole.