Rodney Strong Rockaway Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

It is difficult not to notice the power and length in 2016 of this cabernet sauvignon, petit verdot and merlot. The flavours are cabernet intense with dark plum, licorice and tobacco streaked with mineral, leather, and savoury Sonoma brown spice. 2016 is an exciting year, and this wine is showing all the hallmarks of mountain cabernet that will live a decade or two in the bottle with ease. Certainly among the best yet from Rockaway. Rockaway Vineyard sits in the middle of the valley with average temperatures of 62 degrees, balancing Cali heat with Pacific Ocean cooling breezes. The land generally slopes northeast and southwest, rising to an elevation of 750 feet with soils comprised of gravelly clay subsoil over fractured Greywacke sandstone. A single vineyard at its best. Score – 94. (Anthony Gismondi, gismondionwine.com, Jan. 29, 2020)