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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 91.1 pts. and median of 91 pts. in 27 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by lockestep on 4/24/2021 & rated 89 points: Five years ago this was a little clunky, but I thought all the elements were there to come together with age. It has done that, very good spot now with secondary flavors and still some primary hanging in there. Is what it will be IMO, a good solid if straightforward cab. (1453 views) | | | Tasted by srh on 12/1/2020: Cf. the CellarTracker Article link [lower lft] to get specific info for this vintage, including acclaim.
≈1 hr decant into a plastic, cylindrical pitcher which was then capped; NO visible sediment; Private Preserve after Day 1.
N: Slightly closed; Tough to parse, but pyrazines VERY slightly atop berries & choc?
P: MF body; RNDISH entry with ALMOST swtish frt (approaching threshold R.S., or is it glycerol from the alcohol?) met by a counterbalancing astringent pucker which stays within hailing distance of the init frt as it fairly seamlessly transitions into a very LONG, BALANCED finish with a VERY slight bitterness & an attractive tangy/swtness to the minimal, VERY mild tannins. Went quite well with the night's revisited Rack of Lamb (Herb Crusted), Baked Potatoes, & Creamed Spinach. Likely @ its zenith, so further cellaring pointless, though I can see it holding through '24. 15.5% ABV; My EXC (92,93/100 using that metric) for this delightful wine. 🙂
// Day 2: Even tougher to parse aromatically, though a floral element (violets?) that I didn't notice Day 1. P showing a BIT > firmness & glimpses of heat from time to time, but not outside the realm of expectations, particularly when paired with tonight's Chx Adobado Burrito.
// ∑: Sticking with the "score"/time frame of Day 1. [As of mid Dec '20, wine-searcher still shows 2 sources @ $66 & $70]. (2065 views) | | | Tasted by greedy on 5/30/2020 & rated 91 points: Pretty good. I don’t normally go for cabs outside of Napa. But this was very good.
I didn’t find it over Oakes at all like others.
Would buy again. And this is no where near past peak. I would argue has not even hit drinking window. Parker has drinking range out to 2030. (1802 views) | | | Tasted by Winiac on 3/10/2020 & rated 87 points: Thin and overoaked. It was much better when it was young. Aged very disappointingly. (1701 views) | | | Tasted by Winiac on 10/3/2019 & rated 89 points: Sweet fruit but is a bit hollow on the mid palate. Over oaked. (1919 views) | | | Tasted by Veni_Vidi_Vino on 7/7/2019: Pair w chicken parm. Delicious (1118 views) | | | Tasted by TashNYC on 9/24/2017 & rated 93 points: At Epicurean Palette (Grounds for Sculpture Outdoor Tasting Event): It was a tough environment to taste these big red wines -- with 90+ degree heat (which makes the wines fall apart) -- but I really liked the wine and thought it had a lot of potential. I had 2 tastes of it: the first was much too warm. the second bottle had been iced and drank much better. (Our friend Gina had it only from the warm bottle, and wasn't a fan). Jen liked it from the 2nd bottle.
I got notes of cherry, blackberry, hints of chocolate and some licorice as it opened in the glass -- plus LOTS of tight tannins. This wine needs a long decant and/or 5-10 years to show well -- plus a good, grilled steak!
The retail is $75. I guessed over $100 (maybe $125). (1680 views) | | | Tasted by mpchs1988 on 3/27/2017 & rated 93 points: Served at 56 deg. With prime rib. Berry and tobacco on nose smooth on palate with soft oak. Drinks quite well. A little overpowered by meal. (2439 views) | | | Tasted by AllRed on 1/18/2017 & rated 92 points: Opened and decanted by tlv. Notes of chocolate-covered cherries, ripe black fruit and vanilla. Tannins are well-knit and not at all obtrusive. Cassis and chocolate flavors with a mocha/hazelnut/vanilla International Coffee kind of thing going on...I like it. Enjoyable enough on its own, but better when paired with the turf portion of the entrees, and it definitely needs an hour or two in a decanter. (1539 views) | | | Tasted by thelostverse on 1/18/2017 & rated 92 points: Time has been kind to this bottle. Opened at Anvil with surf and turf. Decanted at least an hour prior to dinner. Consistent notes as prior bottle, but did not seem overripe tonight. No hurry here. (1618 views) | | | Tasted by mhenry on 11/2/2016 & rated 91 points: Really softened since it was first released. It might continue to develop, but I'd drink in the next couple of years. (2176 views) | | | Tasted by Ben Christiansen on 2/11/2016: Family own by the Cline Family I am being told. Which is kinda crazy to think about but there it is. Smokey oak and then super supple fruit. Very soft. A little hint of tannin on the back. Drink now. (2330 views) | | | Tasted by thelostverse on 1/23/2016 & rated 90 points: Opened at Mortons prior to Wynton Marsalis show. No decant, but initial pour about thirty minutes prior to dinner. Nose of black fruits and a bit of cherry, along with some tar and graphite. Similar palate. Dusty tannins but not obtrusive. 15.5% alcohol, but it carries it well. Perhaps a bit overripe. I will take my time with these and see how/if they change. (1365 views) | | | Tasted by lockestep on 12/10/2015 & rated 93 points: Rodney Strong Tasting with Justin Seidenfeld (State Line, Elkton MD): Best structure of the three single vineyard RS cabs. Also most backwards of the group. Deep color, full body and built to age. Chocolate, dark fruits on palate. Some licorice and lavender scents in the glass. Nice, nice effort. (2710 views) | | | Only displaying the 25 most recent notes - click to see all notes for this wine... |
| By Sara d'Amato
WineAlign (3/4/2016)
(Rodney Strong Brothers Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley, Sonoma County red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Michael Godel
WineAlign (2/25/2016)
(Rodney Strong Brothers Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley, Sonoma County red) Subscribe to see review text. | By David Lawrason
WineAlign (2/24/2016)
(Rodney Strong Brothers Ridge Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley, Sonoma County red) Subscribe to see review text. | By Antonio Galloni
Vinous, 2014 Sonoma and Points North: New Releases (Feb 2016) (2/1/2016)
(Rodney Strong Cabernet Sauvignon Brothers Ridge Sonoma) Subscribe to see review text. |
NOTE: Scores and reviews are the property of WineAlign and Vinous. (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
2012 Rodney Strong Cabernet Sauvignon Brothers98% C.S. & 2% P.V. from a 141 acre vyd on well-drained loam underlain by sandstone, shale, & ancient greenstone @ 400-1,030 ft elev; 21 mos in FR oak barrels (44% new); 15.5% ABV, 5.7g/L T.A., & 3.86 pH;”
93 pts ea WA (12/29/14) & The Tasting Panel (Anthony Dias Blue, 11-12/’15),
91 nataliemaclean.com,
90 Connoisseurs’ Guide (8/’15),
90 (2x) & 89 winealign.com ,
89 WS (10/31/15), and
87 WE (3/1/16) @ $75.
Cabernet SauvignonCabernet Sauvignon is probably the most famous red wine grape variety on Earth. It is rivaled in this regard only by its Bordeaux stablemate Merlot, and its opposite number in Burgundy, Pinot Noir. From its origins in Bordeaux, Cabernet has successfully spread to almost every winegrowing country in the world. It is now the key grape variety in many first-rate New World wine regions, most notably Napa Valley, Coonawarra and Maipo Valley. Wherever they come from, Cabernet Sauvignon wines always seem to demonstrate a handful of common character traits: deep color, good tannin structure, moderate acidity and aromas of blackcurrant, tomato leaf, dark spices and cedarwood.
Used as frequently in blends as in varietal wines, Cabernet Sauvignon has a large number of common blending partners. Apart from the obvious Merlot and Cabernet Franc, the most prevalent of these are Malbec, Petit Verdot and Carmenere (the ingredients of a classic Bordeaux Blend), Shiraz (in Australia's favorite blend) and in Spain and South America, a Cabernet – Tempranillo blend is now commonplace. Even the bold Tannat-based wines of Madiran are now generally softened with Cabernet SauvignonUSAAmerican 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 CountyAlexander Valley Alexander Valley Winegrowers Association | Wikipedia
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