Rodney Strong Cabernet Sauvignon - $15.99

Wine Details

Price: $15.99
Producer: Rodney Strong Vineyards
Region: Sonoma County
Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon
Container Size: 750 ML
Flavors: berry, black pepper, chocolate, citrus, vanilla
  • Award Winning
  • Red Wine
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Product Description

  • Full bodied and richly textured, this Cabernet displays intense aromas and flavors of blackberry, cassis and black olive, with a smooth, lingering finish.
  • Rodney Strong Vineyards was founded on the recognition of Sonoma County's potential for excellence. Through decades of growing and winemaking, they continue to fulfill the promise of the fine land. Gentle handling, careful use of barrel and stainless steel fermentation and proper oak aging are guided and monitored to enhance the natural and intrinsic character of the wine.

Expert Ratings

Ratings   Vintage Source Flavors
Tastings - 91 Details: Deep ruby black color. Sweet creamy mocha, brown sugar, pepper, and clay aromas. A rich entry leads to a dry-yet-fruity medium-to-full body of tangy berry, chocolate, mocha custard, and spice flavors. Finishes with a fruity, creme brulee fade with a firm tannins. 2004 Tastings berry, brown sugar, chocolate, mocha, pepper, spice
Tastings - 91 Details: Deep garnet color. Cocoa, creamy vanilla, black pepper, cigar box, and berry tart aromas. A supple, round entry leads to a dry-yet-fruity medium-to-full body in a chocolate covered berry and citrus peel fade with well integrated tannins. Nice tangy berry fruit with great acidity for the table. This is what Sonoma cabernet is all about. 2004 Tastings berry, black pepper, chocolate, citrus, vanilla
CGCW - 85 Details: In terms of overall weight and essential Cabernet structure, this ripe and full-bodied working is on the right track. Its tentative fruit, however, is none too plentiful and it is a little too tough for its own good. Give it a couple of years of age, but do not expect dramatic growth. 2003 CGCW
Tastings - 90 Details: Garnet purple color. Buttery toffee cassis and black cherry aromas. A round entry leads to a fruit medium-full body with jammy cassis, currant, and raspberry flavors. Finishes with a ripe fruit and vanilla bean fade. 2003 Tastings black cherry, buttery, cassis, currant, jammy, raspberry, ripe fruit, toffee, vanilla
Tastings - 85 Details: Deep reddish purple color. Smoky wood, graphite, and pepper aromas follow through to a tart medium-bodied palate with grilled pepper, currant, and mild spices. Finishes with a tannic wave of wood and berry skins. 2003 Tastings berry, currant, graphite, pepper, smoky, spices
CGCW - 83 Details: If bake shop smells of vanilla and pastry crust are what passes for oak, then this wine has hit the jackpot. Otherwise, its overly woody, cedary, almost sawdusty overlays and ripe cherry notes that lack depth and varietal precision leave it wandering in the back roads of the vinous landscape. 2002 CGCW
WineAndSpirits - 87 Details: This lean cabernet is firmly tannic, those dusty tannins giving a green edge to the black cherry flavor. It has good length and enough acidity to counter a lamb stew. 2002 WineAndSpirits oak, ripe cherry, vanilla
WineEnthusiast - 87 Details: Well-ripened blackcurrant and cherry fruit shows oaky, vanilla influences, in this dry, softly tannic wine. It has a polish and easy drinkability that make it fine now. 2001 WineEnthusiast cherry, vanilla
Tastings - 85 Details: Brilliant ruby red hue. Cherry, raspberry, carnation and oak aromas. Medium-bodied, this is an easy-drinking Cabernet with soft tannins, light oak and moderate acidity 2001 Tastings
CGCW - 84 Details: Fairly low-keyed in terms of essential fruit and sparing in depth and real Cabernet muscle, this clean but somewhat underfilled wine falls away too soon to puckery dryness and promises only modest improvement with age. 2001 CGCW cherry, oak, raspberry
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Food Pairings

Category Pairing
Cheese Blue Cheese
Red Meat Beef, Pork Chops, Lamb, Grilled or Roast Leg, Grilled or Broiled Chops or Rack of Lamb, Veal, Veal Carpaccio, Game, Farmed Venison, Buffalo, Pate or Liver, Variety Meats or Organ Meats, Liver
Poultry & Eggs Duck Confit
Vegetables Corn, Roasted, Mushrooms, Caramelized Shallots, Potatoes, Sauteed Potatoes
Sauces Red Wine Sauce
Herbs & Spices Basil
Poultry & Eggs Quail stuffed with Swiss Chard & Italian Sausage

Awards and Accolades

  Name Vintage
Award Winner Bronze - 2008 San Diego Int'l Wine Competition 2005

Wine Terms

Name Value
Cabernet Sauvignon (cab er nay saw vee nyon)—This highly adaptable grape grows almost anywhere it is relatively warm, but the best wines come from the Burgundy region of France (where it is a noble variety), California, and Australia. It became famous through the red wines of the Médoc district of Bordeaux and is now grown in Washington, southern France, Italy, Australia, South Africa, Chile, and Argentina. Cabernet Sauvignon grapes make wines that are high in tannin and medium- to full-bodied. Usually identified as having black currant or cassis flavors, the grape can also possess vegetal tones when the grapes are less than ideally ripe. The best wines are rich and firm with great depth, and are often aged for fifteen years or more. Because it is highly tannic, Cabernet Sauvignon is often blended with other less-tannic grapes such as Merlot.
Sonoma Like its neighbor Napa, Sonoma is a small area filled with independent wineries and characterized by microclimates that vary according to the topography. The coolest parts of Sonoma are the fog-filled south, where the grape varieties are Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Northwards up the valley the climate warms and provides a good base for Cabernet Sauvignon and Zinfandel. In general Sonoma wines are less dramatically flavorful than those of Napa. Cabernet Sauvignon is relatively soft, with blackcurrant fruit, minty and eucalyptus perfume, and some soft buttery oak. Zinfandel ranges from soft and gulpable to massive bramble and pepper styles. Chardonnay is rich and juicy, especially from the Russian River, and Sauvignon Blanc can be zingy and grassy. Most Sonoma wines have a freshness and a soft edge which makes them very suitable for drinking on their own, however they partner well with strongly flavored fish and meat dishes. The old-style Zinfandels are delicious with spicy cuisine.
United States Wineries exist in all fifty states, but the most predominant (and best) wine comes from Northern California, Oregon, and Washington State, with New York gaining a foothold in the industry. American wines make up about 75% of all wine sales in the US. The appellation system uses the term AVA (American Viticultural Area) to determine where wines were produced, but grape varieties can be planted anywhere in the country. American wineries generally use varietal labeling, and government regulations require that the variety on the label must make up at least 75% of the blend (in Oregon it’s 90%). The words reserve, special selection, private reserve, classic, and so on have no legal definition in the US. Some wineries use these terms to indicate their better wines; others use the words as a marketing tool to move lower quality wines off the shelf.
California California produces the majority of wine made in the United States. Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Zinfandel and Pinot Noir dominate the wine production in California, but many other varietials thrive in the California climate. Many fine wines are produced in California using Mediterranean grapes.

Tasting Notes

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