Winemaker Notes
Enjoy with charcuterie, barbecue chicken pizza, grilled rib eye steak with mushrooms, and roasted pork.
Professional Ratings
-
Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: One of the wine business favorite words is "overdelivering!" The 2015 Rodney Strong Knights Valley Estate Cabernet Sauvignon indeed does out-performs its price category. TASTING NOTES: This is a rewarding wine. Its aromas and flavors of explosive black fruits and a hint of oak make it an appealing all-purpose wine. Pair with weekday beef stew. (Tasted: February 16, 2019, San Francisco, CA)
-
Wine & Spirits
Lean and electric, this is a racy cabernet with rainwater coolness to its cherry-scented fruit. A spark of acidity brings out some green-plum flavor while the wine’s light tannins remain in the background, adding savor without getting in the way of its drinkability. Its spare elegance brings to mind Japanese preparations of duck, like the roasted breast with Cognacpepper sauce at Mifune in NYC.Best Buy
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.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
A small and picturesque valley separating Napa Valley on its south border and Alexander Valley to its north, Knights Valley excels in similar varieties as the two aforementioned appellations, namely red Bordeaux varieties and blends, as well as Sauvignon blanc. Originally established by Beringer Vineyards, today several outstanding producers claim acreage here. The circadian cooling effects of the nearby Pacific Ocean create a nighttime respite for vineyards during the hot growing season.