Rodney Strong Vineyards and Winery/ Dry Creek Zinfandel/ 2015-2016-2017 Vintages

We love Zinfandels!And today we discuss three vintages of a great Zinfandel from Rodney Strong Vineyards and winery.We will take a look at the tasting notes and the sheets on these wines...straight from their website. The Dry Creek Valley is legendary for producing great Zinfandel, and we were fortunate to discover an excellent vineyard there in 2007 that has been enhancing our Knotty Vines Zin ever since. In recent years, that vineyard has truly begun to shine, and we decided to bottle a small amount separately to highlight its unique character that reflects the briary, peppery nature of Dry Creek Zinfandel. Ruby red colored, with fresh aromas of ripe blackberries, black cherry, wild raspberries, black pepper and dusty earth, this full bodied wine was aged for 15 months in primarily French oak barrels, which added layers of toast and baking spices. Elegant and silky, this wine has refined tannins and is extremely well balanced. Enjoy this 2015 Zinfandel now with Southwestern style pork, spice-rubbed duck breast, grilled sausages, or cellar for enjoyment over the next few years. The 2016 growing season was about as close to ideal as we can get. We received about an average amount of rain over Winter, with only one big storm coming through in early March that topped off soil moisture. Spring was very pleasant, so the vines got off to a great, albeit early, start. Average temperatures continued through summer, with the occasional heat spike. Warm temperatures continued into the Fall, so the Zinfandel harvest started earlier than normal. Dry Creek Valley harvest kicked off in mid-September. Ruby red colored, with fresh aromas of ripe blackberries, cherry pie, black pepper and dusty earth, this full bodied wine was aged for 18 months in primarily French oak barrels, which added layers of toast and baking spices. Elegant and silky, this wine has refined tannins and is extremely well balanced. Enjoy this Zinfandel now with Manchego cheese, bacon wrapped dates or spiced barbecue dishes, or cellar for enjoyment over the next two to four years. We now move onto the 2017 Dry Creek Zinfandel. Although 2017 proved to be an inconsistent year for weather, what started as somewhat challenging quickly turned into a very rewarding harvest. We saw both heavy rain early on and heat spikes in August and September, some reaching past 100F. Heat this late in the season in Dry Creek Valley means rich flavor development with lower sugars, exactly what we like to see for our Zinfandel. Satisfied with the quality and balance of the fruit, we harvested on September 28. Ruby red colored, with fresh aromas of ripe blackberries, cherry pie, black pepper and dusty earth, this full bodied wine was aged for 18 months in primarily French oak barrels, which added layers of toast and baking spices. Elegant and silky, this wine has refined tannins and is extremely well balanced. Enjoy this Zinfandel now with Manchego cheese, bacon wrapped dates or spiced barbecue dishes, or cellar for enjoyment over the next two to four years. So we have three Zinfandels and lots of suggestions for food.I'm still sticking with the idea of Chinese Food from 8Dragons Restaurant in Healdsburg. Ill make the order and the food will be here in 45 minutes.PERFECT! We must adapt in these times and this works perfectly!Please click on the link below and join us as Greg Morthole tells us of these great wines!Cheers! Click here and join us as we enjoy three vintages of the Dry Crek Zinfandel from Rodney Strong .