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Drinking Windows and Values |
| Drinking window: Drink between 2017 and 2020 (based on 5 user opinions) |
Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 87.7 pts. and median of 88 pts. in 35 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | Tasted by kmicho on 3/21/2021 & rated 90 points: This is really great to my palate at this price point. Mushrooms, “dirt”, tart cherry, really nice complexity. Some oak or cedar. Very much enjoy this. (1186 views) | | Tasted by jwb57 on 8/1/2020 & rated 88 points: Not much here for me. (1507 views) | | Tasted by Jwmumm on 6/7/2020 & rated 90 points: Such a good value. Can’t find a better Pinot at this price point. (1582 views) | | Tasted by Jones2016 on 4/17/2020 & rated 100 points: Flawless (1762 views) | | Tasted by deschamp52 on 1/25/2020 & rated 88 points: Medium bodied with balanced fruit. Elegant if not terribly complex. Decent QPR. (1024 views) | | Tasted by margolism on 12/31/2019 & rated 93 points: A really nice Pinot Noir, with lots of cherry and vanilla undertones. Really enjoyable. (1257 views) | | Tasted by yurcek on 12/30/2019 & rated 88 points: Good everyday Pinot Noir (719 views) | | Tasted by Mckalm on 11/17/2019 & rated 91 points: Läder, tobak, jordgubb, fyllig, lite eucalyptus, god (905 views) | | Tasted by Winston3 on 10/4/2019 & rated 91 points: Good wine especially for its price (981 views) | | Tasted by yurcek on 9/25/2019 & rated 89 points: A very nice balanced Pinot Noir from Russian River. It is one of my go to Pinots (858 views) | | Tasted by carminewine on 8/29/2019 & rated 89 points: Costco $13.99 value wine. Hard pressed to find a better Pinot Noir for that price. Excellent everyday sipper. Opens nicely with M+ acidity, red fruit, burnt cedar. (739 views) | | Tasted by yurcek on 7/21/2019 & rated 88 points: This is a nice Pinot Noir to keep in the cellar for a steak or BBQ ribs. Peppery (802 views) | | Tasted by sdwineguru on 7/2/2019 & rated 89 points: 2015 Rodney Strong Pinot Noir Estate Vineyards $15. Mid-ruby/garnet; Pinot nose' stemmy; New World; bigger style; ripe grapes (124.5 alc.); woody; mid-big body; fruit overpowered by alcohol or would have scored higher; long semi-hot semi-lush finish. (687 views) | | Tasted by Larsojam on 6/26/2019 & rated 90 points: $15 at Costco, this was really nice (596 views) | | Tasted by Tpairing on 5/12/2019 & rated 88 points: Red berries in strawberry, plum juice with wood and vanilla. Great with seared tuna yet a great partner with ground lamb and quinoa. (564 views) | | Tasted by psundberg on 5/12/2019 & rated 88 points: Bing cherry, a little earthiness and acidity came out when is cooled down a bit. A very nice, great value weekday Pinot. Thanks for the recommendation JWMUMM! (710 views) | | Tasted by JanZ on 5/4/2019 & rated 89 points: Nice garnet colored. Nose of dark fruit with palate of wid cherry and burnt vanilla. A little rough on balance with a chewy texture but overall very pleasant. I will look for another bottle or two. (518 views) | | Tasted by JL#Vino! on 3/25/2019 & rated 87 points: Good middle of the road Pinot. Paired with a pasta dish with red sauce. We liked it. (637 views) | | Tasted by Mills001 on 2/17/2019 & rated 88 points: Legs. Black cherry. Good bouquet. (Served with sausage risotto.) (748 views) | | Tasted by kieran1701 on 2/9/2019 & rated 87 points: A very attractive Pinot Noir. It has a pale, somewhat transparent ruby that catches the light with fast, though very well defined legs. It has a nose of dark roses and fresh red fruit, notably cherry. Although fairly light, it is delightfully simple. This wine has a particular character that is uncomplicated and simply enjoyable. It has a rather spicy, cinnamon taste with notes of cherry and a hint of burnt oak. The finish is a bit quicker than one would hope and leaves one wanting more.
This is a good wine for sipping, with lighter meats, or heavier fish. (631 views) | | Tasted by Susannew1 on 12/30/2018: Very lite, smooth, yes (799 views) | | Tasted by Deryck on 10/5/2018 & rated 89 points: Easy drinking pinot with good fruit flavors and some cherry popping through. Enjoyed by all who tried it. (1114 views) | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By James Suckling JamesSuckling.com (10/19/2018) (Rodney Strong Pinot Noir Sonoma County Russian River Valley, Red, United States) Subscribe to see review text. | By David Lawrason WineAlign (8/23/2017) (Rodney Strong Russian River Valley Pinot Noir, Sonoma County red) Subscribe to see review text. | NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of JamesSuckling.com and WineAlign. (manage subscription channels) |
| Rodney Strong Producer website
Tom Klein
Proprietor
A fourth generation California farmer, Tom earned a business degree from Stanford and spent the first part of his career as a management consultant at the San Francisco office of the prestigious global management firm McKinsey & Company. One project during this time was evaluating a small winery in the Russian River Valley called Rodney Strong Vineyards and, in a chance meeting, he was introduced to founder Rod Strong and winemaker Rick Sayre. Already developing an interest in wine, this encounter planted a seed that would grow into a lifelong passion.
Rick Sayre
Head Winemaker
Rick began his winemaking career at the age of 19 as an assistant winemaker and cellar master at Simi Winery in Sonoma County. He had the opportunity to train under the world-renowned winemaster André Tchelistcheff, who instilled in his young trainee a deep passion for the art of winemaking and a desire to not only master his craft, but continually push the boundaries of creativity. “André taught me that a winemaker must live with his wine,” Rick recalls, “from walking the vineyards to the careful craft of guiding the wine into bottle. Even the smallest details can have a lasting effect.”
When Rod Strong decided to take a step back from the demanding role of winemaker, he called upon Rick Sayre, who joined the team at Rodney Strong Vineyards in 1979. In more than three decades in the cellars, Rick has guided the wine collection to include world-class Reserve, Symmetry and Single-Vineyard releases, an outstanding line of Estate wines and best-in-class Sonoma County wines that continue to please vintage after vintage. His voracious appetite for new winemaking knowledge has taken him around the world, including trips to the wine regions of France, Australia, New Zealand and Spain
Pinot Noir Varietal character (Appellation America) | Varietal article (Wikipedia) Pinot Noir is the Noble red grape of Burgundy, capable of ripening in a cooler climate, which Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot will not reliably do. It is unpredictable and difficult both to grow and to vinify, but results in some of the finest reds in the world. It is believed to have been selected from wild vines two thousand years ago. It is also used in the production of champagne. In fact, more Pinot Noir goes into Champagne than is used in all of the Cote d'Or! It is also grown in Alsace, Jura, Germany, the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Romania, Switzerland, Austria, Croatia, Serbia, Italy, and so forth, with varying degrees of success.
Pinot Noir is one of the world's most prestigious grapes. It is very difficult to grow and thrives well in France, especially in Champagne and Burgundy. Pinot Noir thrives less in hot areas, is picky on soil, and deserves some oak storage.
Pinot Noir, or Blauburgunder / Spätburgunder in German, is a blue grapevine - and, as the German name suggests, the grape comes originally from Burgundy in France.
The grape, which thrives in calcareous soils, is used primarily for the production of red wine, and it is widely regarded as producing some of the best wines in the world. The wine style is often medium-bodied with high fruit acidity and soft tannins. It can be quite peculiar in fragrance and taste, and not least in structure - which may be why it is referred to as "The Grapes Ballerina". Pinot Noir is also an important ingredient in sparkling wines, not least in champagne since it is fruity, has good acidity and contains relatively little tannins. The grape is considered quite demanding to grow. The class itself consists of tightly packed grapes, which makes it more sensitive to rot and other diseases.
Pinot Noir changes quite easily and is genetically unstable. It buds and matures early which results in it often being well ripened. Climate is important for this type of grape. It likes best in cool climates - in warm climates the wines can be relaxed and slightly pickled. In cooler climates, the wine can get a hint of cabbage and wet leaves, while in slightly warmer regions we often find notes of red berries (cherries, strawberries, raspberries, currants), roses and slightly green notes when the wine is young. With age, more complex aromas of forest floor, fungi and meat emerge.
In Germany, Switzerland, Austria and Hungary, it often produces light wines with less character. However, it has produced very good results in California, Oregon and New Zealand.
With its soft tannins and delicate aroma, it is excellent for white fish, chicken and light meat. For the stored wines you can serve small game. Classic duck breast is a matter of course, a Boeuf Burgundy and Pinot Noir are pure happiness.
Pinot Noir loses quality by over-harvesting. Pinot Noir is prone to diseases, especially rot and mildew. Viruses cause major problems especially in Burgundy. Pinot Noir are large round grapes with thin skins. Relatively high in alcohol content. Medium rich tannins and good with acid. As a young person, Pinot Noir has a distinctly fruity character such as raspberries, cherries and strawberries. A mature Pinot Noir, the taste is different. Cherry goes into plum and prune flavors. It smells of rotten leaves, coffee, moist forest floor and animal wine. This must be experienced. In warm climates you find boiled plum, some rustic, little acid. If the grapes are over-grown, the wine will be thin, with little color and flavor.USAAmerican wine has been produced since the 1500s, with the first widespread production beginning in New Mexico in 1628. Today, wine production is undertaken in all fifty states, with California producing 84% of all U.S. wine. The continent of North America is home to several native species of grape, including Vitis labrusca, Vitis riparia, Vitis rotundifolia, and Vitis vulpina, but the wine-making industry is based almost entirely on the cultivation of the European Vitis vinifera, which was introduced by European settlers. With more than 1,100,000 acres (4,500 km2) under vine, the United States is the fourth-largest wine producing country in the world, after Italy, Spain, and France.California2021 vintage: "Unlike almost all other areas of the state, the Russian River Valley had higher than normal crops in 2021, which has made for a wine of greater generosity and fruit forwardness than some of its stablemates." - Morgan Twain-Peterson Sonoma CountyMendocino CountyRussian River Valley Russian River Valley Winegrowers Association | Wikipedia |
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