The folks over at Rodney Strong Vineyards offer a wide portfolio of Sonoma County wines. Their offerings range from wines made with fruit sourced throughout the county, all the way to single vineyard efforts tightly focused on specific parcels of land. One of the things which remain consistent throughout is their ability to offer value at each price point they sell wine. This has stayed true through the many years I’ve been drinking their wine. Here’s a look at two current releases that offer a little window into some of the terrific things they’re doing.
The Rodney Strong Vineyards 2012 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir was made entirely from fruit sourced in the namesake appellation. Harvesting from different sites took place over a couple of weeks as each achieved maturity. Barrel aging was accomplished over 10 months in entirely French oak. This wine has a suggested retail price of $25. Wild strawberry, red violets and Madagascar Vanilla bean aromas light up the nose of this 2012 Pinot Noir. The flavors remind me of a bowl of fresh red fruits; continued strawberry is joined by red cherry and bits of rhubarb on a friendly and even keeled palate. Spices such as cinnamon and clove emerge on the finish along with final flourishes of fruit such as pomegranate, strawberry and raspberry. Black tea and mineral characteristics are present as well. This wine is a standard bearer in under $30 Russian River Valley Pinot Noir. One vintage after another you can count on it to showcase varietal character and locale, with style.
The Rodney Strong Vineyards 2010 Rockaway Cabernet Sauvignon is a single vineyard effort. Rockaway Vineyards sits at an elevation of 750 feet. It was planted in 1994 and features the five predominant Bordeaux varietals. In addition to Cabernet Sauvignon (88%), this wine has some Malbec (7%), and Petit Verdot (5%) blended in. Barrel aging took place over 20 months in entirely French Oak; 57% of the barrels utilized were new. This Cabernet has a suggested retail price of $75. This Cabernet has a deeply brooding nose that’s just brimming with dense and heady dark fruit aromas. The palate is stacked with layer after layer of fruit; blackberry, plum and black raspberry are all in evidence. Plum pudding spices and chocolate sauce characteristics are present as well. The Rockaway Cabernet has a long, lush finish that shows off black cherry, raspberry, espresso and mineral notes. Firm, chewy tannins yield with some air. This wine is delicious now, particularly after an hour or so in the decanter, however it’ll evolve nicely over the next 5 years and drink well for several after that. This is a fine expression of Alexander Valley Cabernet.
It’s no secret that I really like what they do at Rodney Strong Vineyards. The reasons are many and most of those relate very specifically to what comes pouring out of the bottles. But it also involves the fact that they do the things they do at a relatively large scale. Every time I twist off a cap or pull the cork from a bottle of wine with their name on it, I’m certain I’m going to get a delicious, fairly priced wine. Hats off to the Rodney Strong team for reinforcing that confidence with each and every successive bottle. Not to mention for making sure that even folks in the furthest reaches of the country can easily find wine from a dependable, reasonably priced producer who makes a quality product that speaks to its region of origin. So take my advice, drink their wines, your taste buds will thank you.