Text 9538, 104 rader
Skriven 2014-02-05 22:52:00 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
Ärende: rodney strong 144
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I always liked Rodney Strong, whose Chalk Hill Chardonnay
and Alexander's Crown Cabernet have been among my go-to
names for years. I've watched the winery and its tasting
facilities grow up over the last couple decades, happy
with the general success of the place but disquieted by
its increasing slickness. Of course, when I started coming
here, tastings were free, as at all the wineries, and sales
low-key. Now it's more a bustling marketplace, with gourmet
snacks and jams and knickknacks available for those who
are not up for buying wine but feel guilty enough to need
to pick something out.

There's something like a traffic director out front, and
in a few minutes a gap at the tasting counter is pointed
out. The staff are brisk, professional, and glancingly
gauge your palate and willingness to buy before offering
to help you select stuff to taste. We of course shared our
tastes so got to try double the number of selections,
including a couple of cellar door exclusives.

Our pourer knew a lot about wine and warmed up to us, so
our later pours were more like half glasses than samples.

Chardonnay (Sonoma) 11 - I've gotten used to this brand,
because of a certain diminution in my pocketbook; I once
turn up my nose at it because of its unconcentration and
flatness on the palate relative to the below, but I've
mellowed out, and it hasn't deproved the way so many
products have over the years. Bright, rather lemony,
tropical fruits, moderate oak, medium finish, still a
little thin, but that's what I can afford these days

Chardonnay (Chalk Hill) 11 - still oaky, blackberryish,
rich on the palate, in the big style that I became
accustomed to decades ago. Brighter than I remember, but
still a pretty classy wine. I never could afford the
Chalk Hill Vineyards stuff, but this was pretty close

Zinfandel (Knotty Vines) 11 - the complaint used to be
that the winery tried to Cabernet-ize this grape; now it's
gone back the other way, and I think in the direction it
ought to go in: peppery, plummy, high alcohol, a man's
wine, if that doesn't sound too sexist

Zinfandel (Dry Creek Valley) 11 - riding around the area
I was interested to see along the Dry Creek Road signs
advertising acreage dedicated to growing grapes for Rodney.
This must have been the final product, and it is very good,
showing even more fruit than the Knotty Vines but a similar
robust style, with the fruit having a little more dried
quality; liked this a lot

Cabernet Sauvignon (Alexander Valley) 10 - chocolaty, rich,
moderate alcohol (but then I looked it up, and it's 15, more
than I thought; this brand tops out at 15.5, which when I
was growing up was considered impossible), red and black
fruit, some herbaceousness, fairly nice

Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 09 - curranty and tart, subdued
chocolate and coffee, smooth and ready to drink and not a
bad deal at $40

Cabernet Sauvignon (Alexander's Crown) 10 - blockbuster
flavors and alcohol, currants, more chocolate, very fine
but expensive (the single-vineyard Cabs all go for $75)

Cabernet Sauvignon (Rockaway) 10 - the wines kept getting
bigger as the tasting lengthened. I admit that I was not
able to appreciate them starting about here, noting berries
and currants again, a certain mintiness, rather acidy, but
truth to tell Morpheus was threatening despite my having
spat all but the Alexander's Crown

Cabernet Sauvignon (Brothers Ridge) 10 - the tasting
sommelier poured these in this order, ending with the
biggest wines, and this one almost cut through my
consciousness, with huge fruit and noticeably more acid
and tannin than the previous; I liked it even better than
the Alexander's Crown and would be more likely (not that
likely) to shell out full price for it

Symmetry 10 - this is the signature Bordeaux blend that
has been made for decades and an old friend, even with that
tang of walnuts that I find disconcerting (it is much less
in evidence now). Lots of berries, cherries, currants, nuts,
less coffee and chocolate than the pure Cabs, but still a
big mess of flavors in the mouth, in a good way. It's not
as costly by comparison any more (only $60) and I think a
quite good buy for a special occasion

A True Gentleman's Port 08 - well, no, I am not convinced;
Zinfandel Port just isn't quite right, and this is not the
best example I've had. It's as though they've made these
fancy wines out of the good grapes and thrown together the
rest to make this. I will admit that the tasting room
provided little bits of chocolate to go with, which improved
things, but the caricatured pruny minty quality I can still
do without.

We staggered out of there just in time.

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