A Wine for Tonight: 2009 Rodney Strong Knotty Vines Zinfandel



By Kori ~ May 10th, 2012.

Would you like a quick suggestion for a good wine to drink tonight (or this weekend) that won’t break your budget and is widely available? Many of our readers have said this is something they would like, so here is this week’s selection, the 2009 Rodney Strong Knotty Vines Zinfandel from Northern Sonoma in California.

Our selection criteria include:

  • A very good Quality rating of >=3.5 stars (out of 5)
  • A price tag of <=$20
  • Must be widely available

Rodney Strong founded Rodney Strong Vineyards, located in Healdsburg, California, in 1959. It was Sonoma County’s 13th bonded winery. Current owner Tom Klein and the Klein family purchased the winery in 1989. Zinfandel vines have been thriving in Sonoma County for the last three centuries. When Rodney Strong acquired vineyard acreage on the west side of the Russian River, he became the proud owner of 15 acres of old, gnarled Zinfandel vines that had been growing there since 1904. The winery still harvests Zinfandel from those old vines in addition to farming vineyards in the Alexander Valley.

“Fresh, bright berry fruit from our heritage Russian River vineyard combined with the ripe peppery jamminess from our Alexander Valley vineyards make for wonderful diversity of flavor showcasing the best that zinfandel can offer in one wine.” –Winemaker Rick Sayre

2009 Rodney Strong Knotty Vines Zinfandel (Northern Sonoma, California): Deep ruby red in color. Aromatic with strawberry and cinnamon on both the nose and palate. Medium to full-bodied with lively acidity and medium tannins. Well-balanced with a very long, smooth finish.
Quality: 4 stars (out of 5)
QPR: 5 bangs for your buck (out of 5)
Where to buy: Received as sample, suggested retail $18.50; Available elsewhere, $14 to $22


Filed under: A Wine for Tonight, American Wine, California Wine, Five-Bangs For Your Buck Wines, Red Wine, Wines Under $20, Wines Under $25, Zinfandel

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