We were cold and a bit liquored up after a picnic lunch in the rain in Dry Creek Valley the other day. That’s always a great time to try a new winery! Rued fit the bill for us: it was right across the street from where we had our luncheon and we were all enchanted by the name. Could it really be pronounced “rude?”
Rued winery
Well, it turns out that the answer to that question is “no.” Dee Rued, a delightful woman originally from Montana, told us that you say it “Ru-ed,” just like it looks. That makes sense.
The Rued’s have been around the area for ages: their card says six generations. They made wine before Prohibition but since then have only gotten back into it since the 1970’s. It’s family run, small but well kept and we liked the wine.
some tasty Rued wines
2007 Sauvignon Blanc, Dry Creek Valley: This wine was so pale that it was almost clear. It smelled of tart citrus and tasted a bit acidic, smoky and minerally.
2007 Chardonnay, Russian River Valley: This was a transparent pale yellow. It smelled strongly of vanilla and perhaps white chocolate. It tasted oaky, apply and lemony.
2007 Pinot Noir, Russian River Valley: This was pale brownish red. It smelled of cinnamon and a non-descript chemical per Wendy. I could not detect anything but I’m terrible at smells. It tasted of cinnamon, caramel, pepper with a long finish.
2006 Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley: This was purplish red. It smelled of tar, prune and leather. We tasted coffee with a spicy long finish.
2005 Zinfandel, Dry Creek Valley: This was quite different from the first, though it looked the same. It had a jammy fruity nose ant taste. We detected raspberry and root beer with pepper on the end.
2005 Cabernet Sauvignon, Dry Creek Valley: This was a semi-opaque brownish red. It smelled of nutmeg. It had medium body with a cherry vanilla taste and a long finish.
a lazy rainy January day at Rued
