Get any six, cork-sniffing wine geeks together for a discussion of which wine competition is best, and chances are you'll get at least six different opinions. Ask those same six individuals which competition publishes the best awards book and chances are the response will be unanimous...the California State Fair's.

    It's so much more than a little booklet listing award winners. This is a full size, perfect-bound, 4-color, 120-page magazine, with background stories about winning wines, wineries and winemakers, as well as other stories and profiles and a complete list of medalists.

    The organizers try to explain it to me every year, but I guess I'm dense. I can never figure out how a wine can be the overall "Best Wine of Show," without also being the best of its varietal type. This year for example, Best of Show honors went to the very limited production Kathryn Kennedy 1997 "Santa Cruz" Syrah...but Best Syrah/Shiraz went to California State University, Fresno 1998 Shiraz. Go figure. (Syrah and Shiraz are synonyms for the same grape.)

    That Fresno State wine is a legitimate commercial wine, by the way. There's a legal, commercial, bonded winery at the university and the enology/viticulture students do all the work from vineyard to bottle. Proceeds from selling the wine go back into the program.

    If you're lucky enough to live near a Lucky Stores supermarket you can pick up one of the awards books for $5, or send $7 (includes postage) to: State Wine Winners, Box 1598, Carson City, NV 89702 (800) 845-9463 and my office will mail you out a copy.     Winery of the Year for the second consecutive year (never happened before) is Geyser Peak of Sonoma County.

   

RODNEY STRONG UPDATE

  I hate to be the one to break the news, but the chap whose name is on the label isn't necessarily the winemaker. I assure you it has been a very long time since Robert Mondavi dragged any hoses or stomped on grapes in his namesake winery, you won't find Joseph Phelps spending much time in the cellar during harvest and Charles Krug and Paul Masson are both dead guys.

    It's true that a former dancer named Rodney Strong was the founder of this winery (now owned by the Kline Family) and Strong did indeed make the wine for many years. It was soon discovered that, not unlike Robert Mondavi, Strong was of even greater value as a marketing and public relations icon than he was in the cellar.

    It is quite common at wineries with famous names attached for the real winemakers to be kept in the background so we can all imagine that "oldies but goodies" like Bob Mondavi and Rod Strong are still stomping through the wineries in rubber boots, off-loading hundreds of tons of grapes during harvest.

    The real winemaker at Rodney Strong Vineyards is a fellow named Rick Sayre, and I recently tasted most of his current efforts at making Rodney Strong more famous.

    Rodney Strong 1997 "Sonoma" Chardonnay ($12) Blended to a small percentage of Pinot Blanc, fruit is this wine's major statement. Mostly citrus flavors, including a little lime. Crisp and refreshing. Little wood. Rating: 87/87

    Rodney Strong 1997 "Chalk Hill" Chardonnay ($16) Big vanilla nose on rich tropical fruit base. Cool climate crisp finish. This wine has been consistently excellent for decades. Rating: 88/86

    Rod Strong 1997 "Chalk Hill Reserve" Chardonnay ($30) Very toasty aromatics on very ripe tropical fruit. Very rich mouthfeel. Roasty, toasty, almost coffee bean complexity in the after-flavors. Rating: 90/82

    Rodney Strong 1997 "Russian River" Pinot Noir ($16) Crushed rose petal; cherry-cranberry fruit; moderately astringent. Should benefit from a year or three in the bottle. Rating: 87/84

    Rodney Strong 1997 "Reserve" Pinot Noir ($30) Rich, ripe plum aromas and flavors with fading rose and tea leaf complexity and a hint of rose hips tartness. Delicious and should improve for at least five years. Rating: 92/84

    Rodney Strong 1997 "Sonoma" Merlot ($14) Big black cherry fruit with a little cassis and smoky complexity. Not one of those wimpy Merlots. Rating: 89/84

    Rodney Strong 1996 "Sonoma" Cabernet Sauvignon ($14) User friendly red wine with very pleasant berry flavors. A good restaurant by-the-glass wine. Rating: 87/83

    Rodney Strong 1995 "Reserve" Cabernet Sauvignon ($40) Very ripe, bordering on overripe and a touch high in alcohol. Highly extracted plum flavors leaning toward prune. Bold tannins. Buy the "Alexander's Crown Cab...save $15 and enjoy a superior wine. Rating: 87/79

BEST BUY
WHITE WINE OF THE WEEK

    Rodney Strong 1998 "Charlotte's Home" Sauvignon Blanc ($10) Primarily stainless steel fermented to emphasize fruit with a small portion given to barrel fermentation for complexity. Soft grapefruit flavors and totally dry perception. An excellent food companion. Rating: 88/90

BEST BUY
RED WINE OF THE WEEK

    Rodney Strong 1996 "Old Vines" Zinfandel ($16) Ripe plum and boysenberry fruit with a touch of spice. Moderate oak presence and very long aftertaste. Rating: 90/90

COLLECTABLE WINE OF THE WEEK

    Rodney Strong 1996 "Alexander's Crown" Cabernet Sauvignon ($25) This wonderful vineyard has a track record. It has yielded special wines since the early 70s and this is one very good example. Earthy, black fruit flavors...blackberry, black currant and black cherry...fully ripe and highly extracted, but not overpowering. Tannins, alcohol, every component is in perfect balance. It's wonderful now, but bound to improve for at least ten years. Rating: 94/90

    To track down Rodney Strong wines or arrange visits, contact the winery: P.O. Box 368, Windsor, CA 95492 (707) 433-6521 or E-mail: info@rodneystrong.com

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Wines are scored using a unique 100 point system. First number rates quality; second number rates value.