Winemaker Notes
Enjoy this Cabernet with a grilled steak, rack of lamb, or grilled winter vegetables.
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
A youthful, structured, savory red, it’s hard to believe this wine is priced at $22. (At W&S, we assign scores with no knowledge of prices unless they are $20 or under). We opened this wine on a Thursday and by Saturday, it was still tight and firm, with juicy black-currant flavors and scents of herbs. As of Monday, it felt sumptuous and rich. Paige Dana of Cut in Beverly Hills tasted it that day and described the flavors as “a bowl of super-juicy, dark, yummy fruit before it goes overripe.” This is not a complex wine with a lot of depth, but it is pretty extraordinary to find such delicious drinking for a third of what you might be asked to pay for a cabernet of equal stature.Best Buy
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Wine Enthusiast
Brawny blackberry, dark cherry and raspberry make for an inviting entry into this impressively likable wine. It is smooth, rounded and rich in feel. Touches of vanilla and baking spice season the whole, building to a velvety finish.Editors' Choice
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2017 Rodney Strong Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon drinks well and smoothly. TASTING NOTES: This wine exhibits aromas and flavors of red and black fruits with a hint of licorice. Enjoy it with an oven-baked chicken. (Tasted: March 6, 2020, San Francisco, CA)
Founded by wine industry pioneer, Rod Strong, in 1959, Rodney Strong Vineyards is now owned by the Kleins, a farming-based family that prides itself on land stewardship and a relentless push for superior wine quality from Sonoma County. After purchasing the company in 1989, Tom Klein began the endeavor that today brings together excellent vineyards, the industry's finest winemaking equipment, and exceptional talent. The winery farms and sources grapes from vineyards throughout Sonoma County, focusing on Alexander Valley, Russian River Valley and Chalk Hill. Rodney Strong Vineyards is best known for its estate-bottled and vineyard-designated wines, and is also recognized for their sustainable and Fish Friendly Farming, dedication to solar energy production and becoming carbon neutral in 2009.
While Sonoma County is acclaimed—and rightfully so—for its Chardonnays, Pinot Noirs, and Zinfandels, it also produces exceptional Cabernet Sauvignon. Of the region’s 18 American Viticultural Areas, only a handful produce top-notch Cabernet Sauvignon. These appellations include Alexander Valley, Knights Valley, Sonoma Valley and Dry Creek Valley. Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignons made in these appellations can offer a complex array of aromas and flavors. Fruit notes such as blackberry, blackcurrant, cassis, black cherry and raspberry often are accompanied by hints of graphite, dusty earth, cigar box, toast and vanilla. The varietal has a rich history in Sonoma, and some of these Cabernet Sauvignons and Cabernet-based blends rival the best from Napa Valley.