Winemaker Notes
-Wine Enthusiast
Rubicon is the pure reflection of what was once the historic Inglenook property located in the heart of the western Rutherford Bench, Napa Valley s prime Cabernet Sauvignon appellation. In 1975, Francis and Eleanor Coppola purchased a majority of this historic Estate and introduced the Niebaum-Coppola Estate Winery. After three years of careful study and planning, they launched an ambitious venture to revitalize the great Cabernet heritage of Inglenook. In 1978, the new winery created its first vintage of Rubicon, a proprietary Bordeaux-style blend that would become the flagship wine of the Niebaum-Coppola Estate. Produced from 100% certified organically-farmed grapes, Rubicon always reflects its terroir first, vintage second.
Critical Acclaim
All Vintages
A decade later, Francis Ford Coppola purchased 1,500 acres of this historic property and revived Captain Niebaum's fine winemaking tradition. In 1995, Niebaum-Coppola acquired the remainder of the property and restored the Inglenook Estate to its original dimensions.
Undoubtedly proving its merit over and over, Napa Valley is a now a leading force in the world of prestigious red wine regions. Though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Napa Valley, other red varieties certainly thrive here. Important but often overlooked include Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties well-regarded on their own as well as for their blending capacities. Very old vine Zinfandel represents an important historical stronghold for the region and Pinot noir is produced in the cooler southern parts, close to the San Pablo Bay.
Perfectly situated running north to south, the valley acts as a corridor, pulling cool, moist air up from the San Pablo Bay in the evenings during the hot days of the growing season, which leads to even and slow grape ripening. Furthermore the valley claims over 100 soil variations including layers of volcanic, gravel, sand and silt—a combination excellent for world-class red wine production.
