Full Review

Rodney Strong
Buy It Now

Rodney Strong
2016 Symmetry, Red Meritage, Sonoma County

Pair this wine with:
Beef Vegetables

Category: Red Meritage

Date Tasted:
Country: USA
Alcohol: 14.5%
88 Points
Silver Medal
Highly Recommended
$60

Rodney Strong
2016 Symmetry, Red Meritage, Sonoma County

Pair this wine with:
Beef Vegetables

Category: Red Meritage

Date Tasted:
Country: USA
Alcohol: 14.5%
Deep purple color. Aromas and flavors of black currant, red cherry, and black pepper and leather with a silky, crisp, dry medium-to-full body and a tingling, complex, medium-long finish with notes of stewed red cherry, cedar, sweet tobacco, and vanilla and cocoa nib with well-integrated tannins and a suggestion of oak flavor. A high quality blend that makes a great table wine to pair with a wide variety of foods.

Tasting Info

Wine Glass Style: Spicy & Complex
Aroma Aroma: black currant, red cherry, and black pepper and leather
Taste Flavor: Same as aromas with notes of stewed red cherry, cedar, sweet tobacco, and vanilla and cocoa nib
Sweetness Sweetness: Dry
Enjoy Enjoy: Now-3 years on its own and with food
Recipes Pairing: Pot Roast, Steak & Potatoes, Beef Stew
Bottom Line Bottom Line: A high quality blend that makes a great table wine to pair with a wide variety of foods.
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The Producer

Rodney Strong Vineyards

The Producer
11455 Old Readwood Highway
Healdsburg, CA 95448
USA
1 707-433-6521
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Their Portfolio

87 • Knotty Vines 2019 Chardonnay, California 13.5% (USA) $15.00.
86 • Knotty Vines 2019 Pinot Noir, California 14.5% (USA) $15.00.
85 • Knotty Vines 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon, California 14.5% (USA) $15.00.
89 • Knotty Vines 2019 Red Blend, California 14.5% (USA) $15.00.
93 • Rodney Strong 2021 Rosé, Russian River Valley 12% (USA) $25.00.
86 • Rodney Strong 2020 Chardonnay, California 13.5% (USA) $18.00.
91 • Rodney Strong 2013 Gentleman’s Port, Sonoma County 18.5% (USA) $22.00.
88 • Rodney Strong 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma County 14.5% (USA) $23.00.
87 • Rodney Strong 2021 Charlotte’s Home, Sauvignon Blanc, Sonoma County 13.5% (USA) $18.00.
93 • Rodney Strong 2019 Chardonnay, Chalk Hill, Sonoma County 14.5% (USA) $22.00.
91 • Rodney Strong 2018 Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley 14.5% (USA) $25.00.
94 • Rodney Strong 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon, Alexander Valley 14.5% (USA) $30.00.
94 • Rodney Strong 2017 Cabernet Sauvignon, Knights Valley 14.5% (USA) $37.00.
88 • Rodney Strong 2016 Symmetry, Red Meritage, Sonoma County 14.5% (USA) $60.00.
89 • Rodney Strong 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma County 14.5% (USA) $.00.
87 • Rodney Strong 2019 Chardonnay, Petaluma Gap 14.5% (USA) $.00.
93 • Rodney Strong 2022 Rosé, Pinot Noir, Sonoma Coast 13% (USA) $25.00.
91 • Rodney Strong Vineyards 2021 Red Blend, Sonoma County 14.5% (USA) $23.00.
88 • Rowen 2018 Red Blend, Sonoma County 14.5% (USA) $60.00.
89 • Upshot By Rodney Strong 2019 Red Blend, Sonoma County 14.5% (USA) $19.00.
89 • Upshot By Rodney Strong 2019 White Blend, California 13% (USA) $19.00.
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Red Meritage

Wine Glass Cabernet.jpg
Serve in a Cabernet Wine Glass
About
Red Meritage
Meritage (rhymes with "heritage") is a term coined in California to describe a blended wine made with Bordeaux varieties. While there could be a white Meritage, the term generally refers to a red wine, thus made with any combination of five grapes: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Cabernet Franc.

Established in the 1980s, the concept of Meritage wines was initially greeted with a good deal of fanfare, but today, that excitement has waned. Most of the 100 plus wineries that make a Meritage-style wine are in California; many do not even use the term on the label, preferring their own fantasy name.

Meritage red wines age similarly to a full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon and are best paired with red meats and game.

Rodney Strong 2016 Symmetry, Red Meritage, Sonoma County rating was calculated by to be 88 points out of 100 on 7/11/2022. Please note that MSRP may have changed since the date of our review.