Reserve Wines From Rodney Strong Vineyards/Greg Morthole

As we enjoy this great holiday weekend,May I suggest three great reserve wines from Rodney Strong Vineyards. Raised in Sacramento, Greg Morthole attended the University of Wyoming, where he earned a B.S. in Natural Sciences. He entered the wine industry as a Laboratory Analyst at Vinquiry in Windsor, California, then moved to Chalk Hill Winery in 2003 to become an Enologist. Greg joined the Rodney Strong Vineyards team in 2005, when he accepted a position as Lab Director. His innate acumen for winemaking became immediately clear to his peers, and he quickly ascended to an appointment as Associate Winemaker in late 2007. In the spring of 2010, he was promoted to Winemaker, overseeing all aspects of operations and winemaking in our Artisan, “Winery Within the Winery.” With a quiet demeanor and a determined attitude, Greg’s energetic style illustrates how enjoyable he finds winemaking to be. “Making the Reserve and Single-Vineyard wines here is an honor,” he says. Alexander Valley is best known for the classic Bordeaux varietals which thrive in the unique soils and warm climate, with parts of the valley moderated by cooling ocean breezes and evening fog. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grown here are marked by deep plum and blackberry flavors, with abundant, supple tannin structure. Alexander Valley Sauvignon Blanc is characterized by ripe melon and pear tones, highlighted by zesty lime peel notes. A testament to the amazing quality of the region, each of our single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon releases comes from small Alexander Valley vineyard sites: Alexander’s Crown, Rockaway and Brothers.Let's start with the Reserve Cab Franc. Our 2015 vintage Reserve Cabernet Franc is rich with aromas of black cherry, raspberry and chocolate with floral undertones. On the palate are flavors of linden spices, red cherry and cocoa with structured tannins and a long-lingering finish. FOOD PAIRINGS Enjoy this wine now with grilled Pork loin, Portobello mushrooms or cellar for enjoyment in years to come. HISTORY Our 2015 Reserve Cab Franc was created in our Square Tank Cellar. Winemaker Justin Seidenfeld employs techniques such as cluster pre-sorting, berry sorting, and extended maceration. With small tanks and equipment sized for the most discriminating vineyard selection process, our cellar is state of the art and represents the Klein family commitment to producing the finest wines possible. THE VINEYARDS The exceptional 2015 vintage started with buds pushing a little early after a very dry winter. The spring continued to be warm and dry, conditions favorable for optimum fruit set. Summer brought more warmth as the grapes acclimated to the sunshine. The 2015 Reserve Cab Franc is made from 4 different sections of our Cooley Ranch vineyard and has 5 varietals in the mix. By mid-September we were picking 100% Cooley throughout the property.our next wine is the Reserve Malbec. WINEMAKING NOTES Our 2016 Reserve Malbec is rich with aromas of briary berry fruit, boysenberry and light floral undertones. On the palate, black cherry and currants give way to dried herbs and fine tannins for a lingering finish. FOOD PAIRINGS Enjoy this wine now with honey glazed pork chops, oven roasted winter vegetables or a petit filet with spicy peppercorn sauce. HISTORY Our 2016 Reserve Malbec was made in our small lot Artisan Cellar. Winemakers Greg Morthole and Justin Seidenfeld employ techniques such as gentle destemming, whole berry fermentation, barrel fermentatations and thermo maceration, using small tanks and equipment sized for the most discriminating vineyard selection process. Our cellar is state of the art and represents the Klein family's commitment to producing the finest wines possible. We now will move on to the Reserve Cabernet. Rich, lush and structured, the 2015 vintage displays intense aromas flavors of blackberry, black currant, cassis and crushed violet. This wine is velvety with a smooth, lingering finish of toasty baking spices, vanilla and cocoa. It's time to start thinking about the dishes to go with these great wines...any thoughts? Click here and join us as we enjoy the wines of Rodney Strong Vineyards .