2016 Rodney Strong Cabernet Sauvignon Knights Valley, USA, California, Sonoma, Wine Review

This is an outstanding value in Cabernet. A blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Malbec, and 1% Cabernet Franc. Knight's Valley really seems to be one of the better places in Sonoma to be growing Cabernet. Purple in color, shiny and bright. The nose has cassis, slight cedar and char. On the palate, this seems at or close to maturity. It has developed into a total package and not just parts. A nice complexity. Juicy fruit. Black cherries and black raspberries with some underlying minerality. Nice finish. Hard to beat this wine for the price. It should drink well for the next five to seven years. A great wine with a steak.

Grade:

A-

Score:

Vintage:

2016

Current Price:

$24.00USD

Top 50 California Cabernet Sauvignons to Try Before You Quit Drinking (a non-dump bucket list if you will!)

In putting together a list of the top California Cabernets, there is sure to be some disagreement. I tried to include those wines that have a track record, the wineries still making great wines, those that seemed to have the commitment for the future and some personal favorites. I am sure I left some out. 1. Shafer Vineyards Cabernet Sauvignon Hillside Select – It’s always hard to name the number one wine. But this has a track record that’s very long. Even in less than stellar vintages, it is an outstanding wine. They just don’t seem to make a dud. My only complaint is the price at over $200 a bottle. But, in comparison to other Napa Cabs or elsewhere in the world, this is a fair price.

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Winemaker David Vergari Talks Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, and....Armed Guards?

Sometimes there are people you encounter in life who, the minute you meet them, you think "This guy has a story to tell and I bet he tells it well." David Vergari is that guy. A veteran winemaker, David launched his own eponymous label, Vergari Wines , in 2003. He recently sat down with IntoWine to share with us his evolution as a winemaker and, most interestingly, the stories "behind the wine". You founded the Vergari Wine Company in 2003. What inspired you to strike out on your own? It happened in two ways: gradually, then quite suddenly.

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2017 Rodney Strong Cabernet Sauvignon Knights Valley

Vintage:

2017

Score:

Grade:

B+

Current Price:

$18.00USD

This is a blend of 93% Cabernet Sauvignon, 3% Cabernet Franc and 3% Malbec. Garnet in color, mostly clear and bright. The nose has cassis, dust and slight dishwasher note (not pleasant). Full bodied. Medium tannins. Much better on the palate. Cassis with a fair amount of oak. Moderate finish. This drinks easy on its own and would be nice with a burger or plate of pasta. Drink over the next few years.

Heidi Peterson Barrett: Napa's Wine Diva on Winemaking, La Sirena, and the Legacy of Screaming Eagle

Heidi Peterson Barrett As arguably the most celebrated, respected, envied, and in-demand winemaker in America today, Heidi Peterson Barrett is one of only a handful of winemakers who can legitimately lay claim to "superstar" status. Her wines at both Dalle Valle and Screaming Eagle resulted in multiple 100 point scores from Robert Parker (Parker himself dubbed her the "First Lady of Wine") and helped redefine both the meaning and value of "cult" wines. She rocked the wine world at the 2000 Napa Valley Wine Auction as a 6-liter bottle of her 1992 Screaming Eagle sold for $500,000, in the process setting a world record for the highest price ever paid for a single bottle of wine (a vertical offering went for $650,000 at the 2001 Napa Valley Wine Auction). Heidi Peterson Barrett is currently winemaker for Amuse Bouche, Paradigm, Revana, Barbour, Lamborn, Fantesca, as well as her own label La Sirena . I recently had the pleasure of catching up with Heidi to talk about winemaking, her own La Sirena label, and the legacy of Screaming Eagle.

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Sonoma's Must Try Cabernet Sauvignons - 2015 Best of Sonoma

For the 2015 Best of Sonoma Lists we surveyed hundreds of local vintners asking for their inside perspective of the best wines, tasting rooms, and restaurants in Sonoma. If Cabernet Sauvignon runs in your veins, then there are certain Sonoma wineries that you simply can’t come to Sonoma without visiting. To help determine the best of the best, we surveyed over a hundred professional wine producers in the area for their professional recommendations of the best Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignons under $100.

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2016 Rodney Strong Cabernet Sauvignon Knights Valley, USA, California, Sonoma, Wine Review

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Winemaker David Vergari Talks Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon, and....Armed Guards?

2017 Rodney Strong Cabernet Sauvignon Knights Valley

Heidi Peterson Barrett: Napa's Wine Diva on Winemaking, La Sirena, and the Legacy of Screaming Eagle

Sonoma's Must Try Cabernet Sauvignons - 2015 Best of Sonoma