Full Review

Rodney Strong
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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.

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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.