WEEKEND WINE PICKS
Rodney Strong Chardonnay 2016, Sonoma County, California $22.99 | 87/100
UPC: 087512913257
The style is getting fresher even if the ripe fruit and leesy buttery tones suggest there is some softening from a percentage of malolactic fermentation. The fruit is a mix of ripe peach and red apple with tropical, pineapple notes. Texture remains a focus in what is a pleasant sipping, Sonomastyle Chardonnay. Try this with a chicken salad.
Rodney Strong Merlot 2014, Sonoma County, California $24.95 | 88/100
UPC: 087512073395
Rodney Strong Vineyards has been growing Merlot since the early 1970s in Geyserville. In 2014, the fruit comes off three sites in the Alexander Valley. The nose offers up an expressive mix of plums, milk chocolate, and baking spices with medium persistence. The tannins are light, promoting an easy-drinking style. Think Italian-style sausages, pork chops or hamburgers as the food match. It’s all aged in 100 per cent small French oak barrels for 20 months. Famiglia Zingarelli Rocca delle Macie Chianti Classico 2015, Tuscany, Italy
$18.49 | 88/100
UPC: 8002305009506
A welcome change in style here with more red fruit, more fragrance and really more authentic Sangiovese. A kinder, gentler version of the grape with floral overtones, spice and bright, fresh, light red fruit, even in a warm year. Food friendly and supple, you can drink this most nights of the week with a favourite pasta dish. A 95/5 mix of Sangiovese/Merlot from several estate vineyards, aged in Slavonian or French oak barrels for six to 10 months, refined further in the bottle. Lake Sonoma Zinfandel 2014, Dry Creek Valley, Sonoma County, California
$24.49 | 89/100
UPC: 729188115565
We love this round, friendly Dry Creek Zin with a savoury, black fruit nose that draws you into the glass. The attack is juicy with lively red and black cherry fruit with smoky, bramble, cinnamon Zinfandel fruit. The finish is smooth, round and refreshing. Good value barbecue red. There’s 11 per cent Petite Sirah in the blend, which spends two years in French and European oak barrels (17 per cent new). Lake Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon 2014, Alexander Valley, Sonoma County, California
$27.99 | 90/100
UPC: 729188943007
Look for fully ripe, black fruit with flecks of cassis and cedar and dusting of milk chocolate that remains in check thanks to a savoury component. The Sonoma County style is always a bit more linear and to me more attractive versus the richer more hedonistic Alexander fruit. The finish is dry with just a hint of spice. The tannins are soft and you can drink this now, especially with grilled meats. Excellent value.