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| Drinking Windows and Values |
| Drinking window: Drink between 2004 and 2010 (based on 6 user opinions) |
| Community Tasting History |
| Community Tasting Notes (average 84 pts. and median of 85 pts. in 25 notes) - hiding notes with no text | | | Tasted by LetsBFranc on 5/20/2017: sadly the wine was nfg....cork issues...... (1040 views) | | | Tasted by sammy on 5/31/2010 & rated 86 points: Nice hint of fruit flavor in a bold wine, especially for the age at this point. (3470 views) | | | Tasted by schuey on 10/14/2008 & rated 84 points: Past its prime (if there ever was a prime). Adequate at best. (3729 views) | | | Tasted by BTT on 12/3/2007 & rated 88 points: Nose of tobacco and spices. A little fruit forward, opened up well after an hour. Very nice on its own or with food. A bit surprised by some of the low ratings in the past. (4177 views) | | | Tasted by Tarrant on 11/16/2007 & rated 84 points: An 'okay' wine, almost a bit near it's end judging by the amber rim, brick red, medium concentration, typical 'soft' Merlot notes and quite boring on the palate, with a short finish (84 Points). (4037 views) | | | Tasted by air guitar & pinot noir on 10/1/2007 & rated 87 points: This Merlot was a gift to Chris and I from Wyatt's Mom, Debbie to celebrate our engagement. Plum and blueberry flavors dominate this wine which is soft and mouth-filling. Some vanilla on the palate and a nice creamy berry finish. (2460 views) | | | Tasted by Tarrant on 8/27/2007 & rated 86 points: Nice, but just 'okay' - It was dark purple, with a clear rim, medium concentration, with very strong notes of cedar, plum and oak on the nose with a medium finish (86 Points). (1933 views) | | | Tasted by drh on 5/19/2007 & rated 90 points: Very silky, smooth and tasty Merlot. I'm surprised at the low ratings other have been giving this wine. My girlfriend and I have consistently loved this wine. Gorgeous sipping wine, or with food .. it's always been a hit. (2122 views) | | | Tasted by nietzschephilosopher on 3/23/2007 & rated 90 points: Plums and red raspberries with a touch of vanilla. A hint of dill and cedar box. Good balance between sweet fruit and smooth tannins (2181 views) | | | Tasted by wifans on 2/25/2007 & rated 80 points: Very intense on the palate on first taste. Nose did not indicate this at all. Wine softened after being opened for nearly one hour. I expect that, given the drink window, it may soften and develop into a very good wine. (2189 views) | | | Tasted by buzzb on 2/21/2007 & rated 75 points: too acidic for us. (2188 views) | | | Tasted by Tarrant on 12/30/2006 & rated 85 points: Disappointed with this due to some of the higher ratings I had seen, it was relatively thin, with a slight brown colour at the rim, it had a very cedary nose and although smooth on the palate, the finish was very short - It was actually more 'old world' than what I expected. It may be unfair to compare, but the Keenan Merlot we had a few days ago was terrific compared to this in my opinion. (2448 views) | | | Tasted by jimyboy on 11/5/2006 & rated 85 points: good wine, strong oak seems to take it a bit out of balance for me at this point, could age very well. (2536 views) | | | Tasted by jimyboy on 10/27/2006: Very strong oak flavor, tanic, needs time will try again in 2009. no rating.. (2565 views) | | | Tasted by 10izguy on 8/29/2006 & rated 89 points: very full bodied for a merlot, great tasting, mellow (3314 views) | | | Tasted by johnwine on 8/29/2006 & rated 85 points: The color is a medium garnet. The nose has light scents of cherries and berries. The taste is medium in concentration with flavors of red cherries, plums and berries. This is a well made every day wine.
I don’t disagree with the above but we had a bottle last evening that was more earthy with vanilla and a deeper, more concentrated fruit. I would rate this bottle JWL 87 (1300 views) | | | Tasted by nubbin on 6/22/2006 & rated 79 points: This Merlot has 6% Cab. It was harsh and unfriendly. (2799 views) | | | Tasted by jwolf99 on 5/2/2005: currants, tobacco, minerals, voilets; rich, fruity, flavorful, smooth (1560 views) |
| 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
MerlotMerlot is a dark blue–colored wine grape variety, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name Merlot is thought to be a diminutive of merle, the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the color of the grape. Its softness and "fleshiness", combined with its earlier ripening, makes Merlot a popular grape for blending with the sterner, later-ripening Cabernet Sauvignon, which tends to be higher in tannin.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 CountySonoma CountySonoma Coast |
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