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Rodney Strong Tasting with Justin Seidenfeld
State Line, Elkton MD
Tasted December 10, 2015 by lockestep with 381 views
Introduction
The lineup for the evening consists of 10 wines, two Chards and a Pinot to begin, then seven Cabs. Each wine served with a mini food course designed to compiment the selection.
Flight 1 - The Others (3 notes)
White
2013 Rodney Strong Chardonnay Chalk Hill
85 points
Typical Cali chard nose, vanilla scent dominant. Decent acid and lemon on palate. Slightly thin and short with a bit of lingering acidity.
White
2013 Rodney Strong Chardonnay Sonoma Coast
86 points
Subtle nose. Balanced, medium bodies wine. Pear the dominant note. More of a Chablis style than New World. Decent for price. Drink in short term.
Red
2013 Rodney Strong Pinot Noir Russian River Valley
80 points
Light in color, mild nose. Harsh on palate, unbalanced, and short.
Flight 2 - The Cabs (7 notes)
Red
2013 Rodney Strong Cabernet Sauvignon Knights Valley
88 points
Rich cab nose. Deep ruby color purple rim. Mocha and blue fruits on the palate, medium finish features dusty tannins. More of an everyday style though Justin Seidenfeld felt it could take a decade in the cellar.
Red
2013 Rodney Strong Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley
85 points
Dark purple. Medium nose typical of young Cab. Presents as lots of individual elements, not integrated. Acid and heavy tannins in finish. Acts as if it needs time to come together. It was bottled in March, surprised it was so disjointed. Still hope here but some concern.
Red
2012 Rodney Strong Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve
90 points
Deep nose. Dark ruby with light purple rim. Smooth on palate with long finish balanced by fine tannins. Some red fruits here. Bit of a hedonistic feel to it but not as a flaw. Nice big structure to balance the fruit.
Red
2012 Rodney Strong Symmetry
89 points
Dark ruby. Smooth, easy drinker. Balanced wine, longish finish with a fair amount of side-tongue acid. Pleasant wine may pick up some complexity with age but at this time is is one-dimensional.
Red
2012 Rodney Strong Cabernet Sauvignon Single Vineyard Alexander's Crown Vineyard
90 points
Deep ruby. Floral nose, uber smooth wine. Medium long finish. Dusty tannins keep the blueberry/plum fruits in balance. A feminine style, nicely crafted.
Red
2012 Rodney Strong Cabernet Sauvignon Brothers
93 points
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.
Red
2012 Rodney Strong Cabernet Sauvignon Rockaway
92 points
Intense nose, deep and fulfilling. Classically structured Cab, palate of olive, raspberry, cranberry supported by fine tannins. Medium finish. Could use time to develop
Closing
The early wines were less than compelling, but the Cabs were worth the ticket. I have consistantly shied from Sonoma Cab, preferring the structure of Napa, but a few of these wines changed my perception.