Winemaker Notes
Enjoy this wine now with blue cheese crostini, grilled vegetables, braised beef short ribs or cellar it for enjoyment in years to come.
Blend: 96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Petit Verdot, 1% Malbec
Professional Ratings
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: I Have tasted nearly all of the Rodney Strong Reserve Cabernet Sauvignons, and I have been waiting for the wine to hit the proverbial "sweet" spot. No, this is not a sweet wine—like some producers are making these days by leaving somewhere between 3 to 10 grams of residual sugar. The 2014 Reserve Cabernet is excellent because it hits of the bases—ripeness, textures, and dryness. The winery should be proud of this wine; it may be the best Cabernet under $50 in the marketplace. TASTING NOTES: This wine shows up to play. Its aromas and flavors of blackberries, savory oak, and alluring spices should make it a delightful match with a grilled ribeye. (Tasted: November 14, 2018, San Francisco, CA)
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Jeb Dunnuck
From Sonoma County and a blend of 96% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Petit Verdot, and 1% Malbec, the 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve reveals a saturated purple/ruby color as well as a beautiful bouquet of crème de cassis, plums, cedary spice, tobacco, and bay leaf. It's medium-bodied, has a pure, polished, elegant style, no hard edges, and rock-solid balance. In short, it's a terrific Cabernet Sauvignon.
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Decanter
A high octane style with oak and intense black fruit on the nose. Shiny, posh and plush palate, with well-integrated oak and sweet ripe tannins.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve is medium to deep garnet-purple in color and scented of crushed blackberries, wild blueberries and warm plums with touches of underbrush, bay leaves and tobacco leaf. Medium to full-bodied with an approachable frame of fine-grained tannins and lovely freshness, the palate reveals plenty of crunchy black fruits, finishing with great purity.
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Wine Enthusiast
Juicy black cherry and blueberry wrap around big, expansive tannins in this hearty red that is sourced from several of the producer's best sites. With a backbone of structure and oak, it's toasty in character yet robustly fruity.
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.