It was a great day for a wine tasting. But then again, isn't any day perfect to gather for some vino?
Our group of six gathered at our home (aka DrinkTheBottles HQ) for a virtual wine tasting provided by our friends at Rodney Strong Wine Estates. This tasting was promoted as a media tasting and we invited our friends to enjoy some new wines. Whenever we have a virtual tasting we always try to include others. It would be a shame to "waste" six bottles of wine on two people.
The folks at Rodney Strong Wine Estates have been going through a makeover, or a REJUVENATION as they call it, for the last 3 years. They have touched every part of the business from the estate, the vineyards, the tasting room, the personnel and, as you may notice, the logo/label!
The lineup consisted of six unique and flavorful wines. The winery proves that you don't have to be expensive to enjoy quality wines. We tasted these wines in order:
- 2020 Rodney Strong Rose of Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley: $25.00
- 2019 Rodney Strong California Chardonnay: $17.00
- 2017 Rodney Strong Sonoma County Merlot: $20.00
- 2018 Rodney Strong Sonoma County Cabernet Sauvignon: $22.00
- 2018 Rodney Strong Alexander Valley Estate Cabernet Sauvignon: $28.00
- 2018 Rodney Strong Old Vine Zinfandel: $25.00
Everyone had the chance to taste all six wines and choose their favorites. Jeff took notes.
We started off with a bang! Collectively and unanimously our group thought that this Rose of Pinot Noir got two thumbs up! Strong strawberry finish with a medium acidic finish. At only $25.00 suggested retail, this is an incredible deal.
Melissa and Jeff tried their hands at their first charcuterie board. You simply cannot have a proper wine tasting without charcuterie. This is only a small sampling of all of the food that we had!
Great golden color and bright Chardonnay. Some people tend to look down their noses at Chardonnay, like Merlot. But this one full of flavor and you won't believe it is only $17.00 when you taste it!
The nearly hour-long virtual wine tasting presented by Director of Communications Christopher O'Gorman and Director of Winemaking Justin Seidenfeld started out with a history lesson and background about the winery and vineyards. Rodney Strong (or "Rod" as they referred to him) started off as a dancer and became a wine pioneer not just in Sonoma County, but throughout California. The winery has been active for over 60 years and Justin is only the 4th director of winemaking in those 6 decades.
RSV is a Certified Sustainable Winery that believes heavily in conservation, water management and solar energy. The focus is now more on micro farming while they also plan extensive vineyard replanting over the next 7 years.
The original tasting room at the winery was opened in 1970 under Rod's watchful eye and just went through a complete remodel. The focus now is flighted wines by appointment, which will give wine lovers a better tasting experience.
I really have to applaud the entire Rodney Strong Vineyards (Rodney Strong Wine Estates) team for their vision. While it may have been a bit overdue to some, they clearly have the right people making decisions both aesthetically and with their winemaking. Change can be difficult. But change is inevitable and often necessary to survive in business and to attract a new or emerging audience.
If you haven't tasted any wines from the Rodney Strong portfolio recently, we would encourage you to do so. You might find a new favorite. While they do offer more expensive and exclusive wines like Alexander's Crown or Rockaway Cabernet, the bulk of their offerings are in the $20 - $30 range and affordable for most people. FYI, our favorites of the day were the Rose of Pinot Noir and Old Vine Zinfandel. Thank you for Alicia, Christopher and Justin for spending some time with us last week and sharing your labor of love. Cheers!
