Rubicon Estate, Rubicon

First bottle of a 3 pack auction lot and first try of this one in a little over two years now, since my last solo bottle of it. Pnp'd into a decanter, then realized first sip, it didn't need much air so back into the bottle under stopper to parse out over the afternoon and evening with pizza in line for dinner. Notes are surprisingly similar to the bottle from 2 years ago. It hasn't degraded at all in that …

2005 vintage

The window for this wine still open. It's drinking beautifully, mostly tertiary with some blackcurrant but shifting toward dried fruit, tobacco, cedar, cocoa, leather, and earthy notes. The tannins are polished, the oak is integrated, and it drinks more like a Left Bank Bordeaux than a modern plush Napa Cab. I didn't want to risk decanting it, but I could've. It got better at about 1 hour from opening.

2005 vintage

After 20 years and outside the drinkability window, this wine was fabulous. The perfect wine for to be served with Beef Wellington. Excellent balance of tannins and fruit.

2005 vintage

Very dark purple color. PNP, drank a glass plus over 2 hours. Brought this also to my staff holiday party. No formal note. Plenty of fruit, dense and concentrated, does not feel excessive, tannins are quite satiny and the oak is well integrated. Deep black fruits, menthol and with a good underpinning of woodsy earth and tobacco.

2008 vintage

Splash double decanted about 2 hrs prior and was ready to go. Dense medium ruby maroon and purple color with moderately thick garnet rim. 👃🏻 black cherry, cedar, hint of raspberry, earth 👅 plum, cedar, black cherry, tobacco, 30-35 sec finish This was in a great spot and with both more tertiary notes and also fruit freshness than the 375 mL bottle I had previously. Beautifully aged Napa blend with integrated tannins. 93.5 rounded up.

2005 vintage

Mature Cab in full secondary development. Savory and herbaceous meaty notes with mint. Stewed plums and green olives. Tannins mostly melted away.

2002 vintage

PnP half of a 375 mL bottle and took about an hour to open. Replaced cork on rest and tried PnP next day and was open immediately. Dense medium ruby maroon and purple color with moderate garnet rim. 👃🏻 black cherry, blackberry, hint of raspberry, earth 👅 plum, sweet blackberry but not cloying, a little blueberry, tobacco, 30-35 sec finish Beautifully aged Napa blend with integrated tannins. Paired well with steak and lasagna.

2005 vintage

Very similar to the BV GdlT '04 but this had a little sparkle power, a little more vibrancy on the palate, maybe a subtle minty thing or herbal thing or brighter cassis fruit...can't put my finger on it. Med. + body but not over the top. Good dose of oak too but would not expect it to have less. '64 plus dinner EWG at Hippo.

2004 vintage

Very dark purple color. PNP, drank a couple glasses over 2 hours. The nose offers a burst of creme de cassis, mentholm cassis, plum, subtle anise, and woodsy spices. The palate is lush, ripe and velvety, blackberry compote, creme de cassis, plum, leather, and strong undercurrent of underbrush. Very good, despite drinking after a very hot day of fishing. 93+pts..

2008 vintage

375 ml. Decanted 1 hour. Clear deep garnet color. Lovely notes of tart black cherries and blackberries and their liqueurs; violets, roses, leather, tobacco, forest floor. Pleasantly tart with gripping tannins. Many fine years ahead, especially in larger formats. Robert Parker has described Rubicon as "a bordeaux blend that wants to be a barolo" and I agree.

2004 vintage

Deep ruby in color with a short reddish/ brick rim. Not showing much age. Beautiful nose of indian spices, cedar, vanilla, chocolates and herbs. Full bodied and elegant with medium acidity and long legs. Dry on the palate and very fruity with blackberries, black currants, cooked plums, cedar, tobacco leaf, light earth, vanilla, licorice, eucalyptus, herbs, chocolates and black pepper. Long finish with fine grained tannins and tangy raspberries. This 20 year old Cabernet Sauvignon is just gorgeous now. Fruit …

2004 vintage

Beautiful dark purple, fantastic nose that is ripe but not overripe fruit. No brown at the edges surprisingly. Very well balanced. No tanin. I see the drinking window has passed in 2016 based on cellar tracker. I pulled this out tonight with steak. I tasted immediately and there seemed to be some overripe fruit and I thought it might die after a few minutes. After an hour in the decanter it was thriving. I doubt more time in the bottle …

2002 vintage

Bouquet is black plum, raspberry, olive, dusty potting soil, poutporri. Palate is dark chocolate, blackberry, and a touch of anise. Doesn't seem super complicated, but it is delicious. Tannins are resolved and acid is medium. Wife said this reminds her of a Pinot and that honestly makes sense, minus the dark fruit profile. Finish is lasting upwards of 45 seconds with that bitter dark chocolate note lingering.

2002 vintage

Picked up at auction in the last few months. 1 hour double decant. Dark magenta in the glass. Nose of aged blackberry, strawberry twizzler, and black shoe polish. Enjoyed over 3 hours of tasting. Palate of sweet aged blackberry/black currant fruit, barrel char. This one is in such a great zone right now. Might be WOTN at 96-97? Not quite on par with the Levy & McClelland the other night which was a 98 but it's close.....

2005 vintage

This is a delicious Napa Cabernet Sauvignon with some nice age. Full bodied and bold with medium acidity. Showing blackberries, black currants, plums, cooked cherries, figs, cedar, chocolates, vanilla, licorice, spices, tobacco, herbs, light earth and peppercorn. Long finish with fine grained tannins and cherries. Nicely balanced and fruit forward. Rich and flavorful. This 18 year old still has a lot of life in it, and will continue to age nicely in the next 10 years. I've had a few …

2005 vintage

really big... way too big for me... wish we could recreate the 1976 - 1999 period in CA cab country again... every try the Caymus cab from 1989... NOTHING like the post 2000 Caymus, but simply gorgeous

2008 vintage

very nice, but crushed by the 2002 Ridge Monte Bello the night before... this wine was filled with beautiful fruit but in that sense a little simple, even if very satisfying... med plus body but still elegant, wonder if some complexity is hiding and might come out if you wait another ten'ish years

2008 vintage

Beautiful deep purple color. Luscious nose of sweet berries, dark cherries and cloves. Lovely mouth feel with well integrated tannins. A big hit with all even the pinot crowd.

2008 vintage

Holy smokes, this is drinking perfectly right now! The nose indicates new French oak with aromas of vanilla and baking spices. Fruit is still very present with a dense core of black fruit. Almost bordering on too rich on the palette, but the solid core of fine grained tannin makes this wine perfectly balanced and delicious. The fruit and structure are totally integrated. Loooonnng finish. Drink now through 2030.

2008 vintage

Clearly a bit past prime but still very drinkable with hints of its past glory.

2004 vintage

This 18 year old Napa Cabernet Sauvignon is drinking beautifully now. Full bodied with medium acidity and long legs. Dry and very fruity on the palate with nice complexity and mouthfeel. Showing black fruits with tobacco, cedar, leather, vanilla, licorice, spices, chocolates, dark coffee, cola, red chili pepper and peppercorn. Generous, fruit forward and spicy. Rich and extracted. Alcohol is nicely integrated by now. Good right out of the bottle, and even better after 3 hours of airtime. Will continue …

2005 vintage

Love this. It’s coming towards the end of its life if you like fruit flavors in your Cabs, but if you enjoy leather and earthen flavors it likely has a fe2 more good years left.

2008 vintage

This wine peaking now. Drink it now. It opens up in about 5 minutes and after 2 hours herb is creeping in. One of my favorite Rubicons.

2008 vintage

This wine is peaking now. Ready to drink on opening and heading to herbaceous after 2 hours. Drink Now

2008 vintage

Cassis and some smoke in its fragrant bouquet. Supple, soft fruit entry, it has a dark fruit flavor that possesses good concentration. Round supple flavor, medium density. Made from the old Inglenook vineyards Before Coppola ownership. Made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Petite Verdot.

2005 vintage

Nice but lacks the fruit and intensity . . Similar to my notes of 2015. Not with the price paid but bought through wine club at the time. Somewhat disappointed.

2002 vintage

Huge, modern Bordeaux flavors, but what really set this off was the finish - it just went on and on and on. Very special wine.

2005 vintage

2 hour decant. Loads of black fruit / black currant, with plenty of chocolate and vanilla. Very smooth.

2005 vintage

Still wonderful dark fruit, smooth, wonderful Long finish

2005 vintage

Just a ridiculous bottle - weighs a ton and the punt almost the same length as the bottle. But serious wine inside. Plum and red fruit on the nose. Brambly, cherry, a little earth, lots of top of the mouth fruit. Medium finish. Drinking well with years left. I don't think its getting any better though.

2005 vintage

I don't get the hoopla with this wine...first thing that hits you, wood...then thin, valley floor green bell pepper, no rutherford dust or dark cherry.

2004 vintage

Black fruit, blue fruit, spice, herbal notes, pepper, leather and Smokey oak A

2008 vintage

Opened it an hour before dinner and then waited another two hours before pouring. It still wasn’t completely ready but we inevitably got to a great place with this wine. Some balance issues in the beginning prompt me to drop the score just a little. I got some vanilla, cassis, blueberry, and blackberry along with a tinge of oak on the palate. A little heat early on which blew off but the finish remained a little shorter than I expected …

2008 vintage

Classic ...mostly red fruit....good complexity and finish. Ready after and hour or 2. This is meant to drink now and the next few years....

2002 vintage

well kept bottle. deep dark purple. aromas of soil, charred coffee beans, chocolate, vanilla pod, berries. on the palate full bodied, very smooth tannins just gliding through the palate. More characteristics of blackcurrant, blueberries, vanilla, spice, mocha, violets and orange peel at the back. oak maybe pushing it a little but overall good balance and precision. long finish. enjoyed this. will hold for another 5-10 years i'm sure. unfortunately my only bottle

2002 vintage

Gorgeous wine. Rutherford dust for sure. Great now but I think it will sing for another 10 plus. Sad I only had one.

2004 vintage

Excellent wine. Took a little while to open up.

2008 vintage

Very dark red/purple color. PNP, from 375ml, split bottle over 90 minutes. Lots of dark fruits on the nose, black currants, blackberry cobbler, underbrush, spice, woodsy. The palate is full bodied, black currants, baked blackberry cobbler, spice, pepper, wood spice. Good length, fairly ripe, but not overly so, fine tannins - probably in top form now.

2005 vintage

Did not fit on shelf

2005 vintage

Could have been my bottle, but this was past its peak drinking window and I was definitely let down for the price I paid.

2004 vintage

Clear deep garnet; clean pronounced nose of dried cassis, leather, parched soil, barnyard, raisins, balsamic, black licorice, toast, cinnamon and cloves; high alcohol; dry; medium plus acidity; medium plus tannins; high alcohol; medium plus body; pronounced intensity; pfn with addition of blueberry pie and tar; long finish; outstanding quality; drink now or in 10 years; incredible wine!!!

2005 vintage

Dark fruit, cassis, chocolate, cocoa, smokey oak and finishes with some herbal notes. A-

2008 vintage

375 ml. Allowed to breathe in glass 1 hour. Clear deep dark garnet color. Some initial volatile savory aromas blew off after an hour to reveal a lovely bouquet of blackberries, black cherries, black currants and their liqueurs; anise, fennel, forest floor, vanilla, spicy oak, violets. Similar on the palate, full body, seamless, balanced, lingering finish. Early maturity with years or decades of prime drinking ahead, especially in larger formats.

2004 vintage

Opened at Morgan’s at the La Quinta resort. Short decant Tobacco dark berries cinnamon and chocolate. Perfectly balanced and enjoyable At its peak imo Better than the last bottle. A year and a half has added some complexity

2005 vintage

Excellent as usual. Drinking very nicely now. Definitely no over the hill and should keep 5 more years easily. Dark purple/black in color. No browning yet. Beautiful aroma of black cherry and dark fruit. A hint of oak on the nose and the palette. Slight tobacco and chocolate notes. Minimal remaining tanin. Long pleasant finish. Nothing bitter or acidic. Very well balanced.

2002 vintage

Stick an I.V. of this juice in me and I will have a smile on my face for the next two years (even when I am sleeping) so good, in its prime. Love it!

2004 vintage

Nola hosp dinner

2005 vintage

Drink up this year. Heavy sediment and good fruit but fades fast. Absolutely delicious wine.

2004 vintage

This is a big, extracted, chewy wine. Very dark garnet color. Notes of blackberry, dark cherry, tar, tobacco, and smokey char oak. Poured into decanter and drank over 3 hours. This needs 2 hour of decanting. Still young and needs some time to integrate as the charred oak is too much now. Will likely improve. Excellent pairing with grilled meats (+93).

2008 vintage

96% Cabernet. Stewed plums, cherry, and strong currant flavors dominate the fruit profile along with violet, sweet tobacco, and faint hints of charcoal (their website names “sour cherry” and “violet” as the “hallmark” flavors of the wine). The showstopper flavor profile of this wine, for me, though, has to be the Rutherford dust: sweet dusty cocoa powder or cherry pit with cocoa powder, as one critic described it. More than the flavor, though, the Rutherford dust is about the sensation—it’s …

2004 vintage

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Rubicon Estate, Rubicon

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