Full Review

Rodney Strong

Rodney Strong
2018 Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma County

Pair this wine with:
Beef Vegetables

Category: Cabernet Sauvignon

Date Tasted:
Country: USA
Alcohol: 14.5%
89 Points
Silver Medal
Highly Recommended

Rodney Strong
2018 Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma County

Pair this wine with:
Beef Vegetables

Category: Cabernet Sauvignon

Date Tasted:
Country: USA
Alcohol: 14.5%
Ruby black color. Aromas and flavors of cooked black and red cherries, cocoa nibs, and espresso with demerara sugar, mesquite honey, and barrel aged tobacco with a round, lively, dry medium-full body and a medium-to-long finish with notes of mocha tobacco and dried red and black & red fruits, vanilla cream, and chocolate covered orange and raisins with medium tannins and light oak flavor. Rich chocolate and fruit flavors balanced out with woody vanilla flavors is what California does best.

Tasting Info

Wine Glass Style: New World, Fruity & Spicy & Complex
Aroma Aroma: cooked black and red cherries, cocoa nibs, and espresso with demerara sugar, mesquite honey, and barrel aged tobacco
Taste Flavor: Same as aromas with notes of mocha tobacco and dried red and black & red fruits, vanilla cream, and chocolate covered orange and raisins
Sweetness Sweetness: Dry
Enjoy Enjoy: Now-3 years with food
Recipes Pairing: Pot Roast, Steak & Potatoes, Beef Stew
Bottom Line Bottom Line: Rich chocolate and fruit flavors balanced out with woody vanilla flavors is what California does best.

The Producer

Rodney Strong Vineyards

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

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.

Cabernet Sauvignon

Wine Glass Cabernet.jpg
Serve in a Cabernet Wine Glass
Cabernet Sauvignon is a variety that is the source of some of the world’s most celebrated and longest-lived reds. Grown in many countries, it is most famous in Bordeaux, where it is the principal grape in red Bordeaux as well as in California – especially Napa Valley- where it is labeled by its varietal name.

Cabernet Sauvignon has aromas and flavors of black currant, cassis, black cherry and sometimes plum (in warmer regions or vintages). Quite rich on the palate, the variety is very tannic, giving its wines a bitter edge in their youth, but also providing the wines with great aging potential, with top flight examples drinking well for as long as four or five decades. Given their richness and flavor profile, wines made from Cabernet Sauvignon need to be paired with rich red meats, such as steaks and roasts as well as game.

Besides France and California, other countries with warm growing regions also excel with Cabernet Sauvignon. These include the Maipo and Colchagua Valleys in Chile as well as the Bolgheri district, situated on the coast of Tuscany.