Rodney Strong Vineyards in Sonoma County is a producer whose core releases you can find on the shelf of any decent wine shop in the United States. Many of their releases are ubiquitous in their availability. And that’s a good thing for wine consumers looking for solid go to wines that deliver consistent quality vintage after vintage. It also makes them a go to choice when you want to step things up and spend a few extra bucks on a bottle of wine for a particular occasion or to age gracefully in your cellar. With all that they do well, I believe the winemaking team at Rodney Strong Vineyards has a particularly deft hand when it comes to Cabernet Sauvignon. Today I’ll look at the current release of the reserve Cabernet from Alexander Valley.
The Rodney Strong 2007 Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon was produced using fruit sourced in Alexander Valley. This wine is 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Select blocks of fruit from each vineyard were chosen. Fruit was hand picked and each lot was fermented and barreled separately. After approximately 6 months the best lots were chosen for blending. Once the blend was complete the wine was returned to barrel for approximately 14 months. In total the wine was barrel aged for 20 months in 100% French oak. This offering has a suggested retail price of $45.
Blackberry, cedar and vanilla bean aromas fill the nose of this Cabernet which simply explodes from the glass with brooding intensity. Cassis, blueberry and continued blackberry are all apparent throughout the powerful palate of this wine. Loads of spice notes show up as well. Dark, dusty baker’s chocolate, espresso bean and a earth notes are all part of the finish which has terrific length. This wine has firm gripping tannins and excellent acidity.
If you plan to enjoy this Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon from Rodney Strong Vineyards over the next couple of years I highly recommend decanting it for a couple of hours. That will allow it to open up and really spread its wings. If you have some patience you could lay this wine down for 5 or 6 years to let it really come in to it’s own; it’ll drink even better in the 5 or so years after that. This is another fine example of the good work being done by the folks at Rodney Strong Vineyards.
Pinot Noir remains one of the trickiest varieties in the world. There are a host of reasons for this. It prospers in some areas and doesn’t do well at all in others. Sometimes a couple areas in question can be quite close to each other, relatively speaking. But aside from the regions and sub-regions where Pinot either thrives or not there are questions of intent. While there are folks passionate about just every grape in the world, Pinot Noir has a particularly dedicated legion of believers. The treatment of the grapes and the style it’s produced in garners as much praise or criticism as the location it’s from. For most of those passionate about Pinot that means things like restrained use of oak and wines that are 100% varietal to name but a couple. One of the regions in the world where Pinot Noir thrives and is produced in a variety of styles is Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Today I’ll look at a current release from 
Aglianico is one of the Italian grapes that I’ve been pretty excited about the last few years. It’s a unique variety that flourishes in its homeland and we’ve been seeing more and more examples of it on US shelves as time goes on. And while our history of Aglianico in the US is pretty short, its story in Italy dates back a couple of thousand years. Today I’ll look at one from long time producer Mastroberardino.
There is so much Cabernet Sauvignon coming out of Napa Valley that it can be a bit dizzying. It’s hard, heck it’s practically impossible, to visit a winery in Napa without tasting Cabernet. They come in all shapes, sizes and price-points, so for me examples that over-deliver in their price-bracket are noteworthy. Today I’m looking at such an example from Waterstone.
Pinot Gris is one of those varieties that, for my money, doesn’t get nearly the acclaim it deserves. Sure like any other varietal there are some forgettable examples out there. But when the fruit is grown in the right spot and the winemaker treats it with respect, the results can be dazzling. For Pinot Gris this mostly means a handful of spots in Germany, Oregon, Italy and Austria in my opinion. Today I’ll look at a release from Austria.
One of the varieties that has made its mark on US shores from Southern Italy the last decade or so is Primitivo. It has strong genetic ties to Zinfandel, of course, and depending on the style its made in the similarities can be strong. Often enough however due to the differences in place of origin and handling they are pretty distinct. Today I’ll look at a Primitivo from 
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