Winemaker Notes
Visually striking, with its violet-edged, opaque ruby-red color, the 2019 Rubicon opens gradually, revealing notes of blackberry, black cherry and cassis. Upon more aeration, notes of espresso, clove and cassis bud emerge. On the palate, silky and fine-textured tannins are wrapped around a firm structural core that anchors the wine. Subtle hints of tobacco, black licorice and anise arise during the extended, seamless finish. The overall vibrant energy and refinement of this elegant wine mark it as quintessentially Rubicon.
Blend: 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Supple, generous and supremely well textured with chalky but fine tannins supporting the rich blackcurrant and cherry fruit. I love the cool blue fruit sensation also, this feels well worked and differently stylistically than many other Napa wines. A sense of refinement here, delicate yet still vibrant and confident. A clear difference between this and the normal bottling. Chewy and ripe with floral fragrance, some milk chocolate elements, caramel, coffee, sweet strawberries, herbal raspberries, liquorice and tobacco - such a lot going on here, but you can feel all the nuance and detail. An excellent wine worth seeking out. 3% Petit Verdot completes the blend. Ageing 20 months in French oak (74%) new.
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James Suckling
Aromas of ripe berries, sweet vanilla, licorice, dark chocolate and bread crust. Notes of dried herbs and pinewood, too. So well grounded. Smooth, with a lingering, silky mouth-feel. Full body and ripe, chewy tannins. Toned and muscular with hints of crushed rocks. Firm, linear finish. Try after 2025.
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Wine Enthusiast
With a grip of currant, dried herb, sage and cedar, this youthful wine is structured, elegant and tremendously age worthy. Bright throughout in vibrant acidity, it is sophisticated in style, with an earthiness that endures, showcasing the incredible potential that continues to be realized from the organically farmed estate. Enjoy best from 2029–2034. This blends 81% Cabernet Sauvignon with 11% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot.
Cellar Selection -
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Rubicon is a blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple in color, the nose pops with vivacious notes of warm cassis, blackberry pie and redcurrant jelly, plus hints of crushed rocks, bay leaves and pencil lead. Medium to full-bodied, it delivers a solid, firm and grainy texture with a lively backbone cutting through dense earth-laced layers, finishing long and minerally. Impressive!
Rating: 96+ -
Vinous
The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Rubicon offers a captivating mix of textural intensity and vibrancy. Black cherry, spice, rose petal, menthol and licorice are all beautifully delineated. A wine of vertical lift and drive, the 2019 has the vibrancy to develop beautifully for years to come.
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Wine Spectator
Ripe and focused, this takes an understated approach with a core of juicy dark plum and red currant preserves, lacing them liberally with dusty earth, singed alder and sweet tobacco. Delivers nice drive through the finish, which stays firmly grounded in its terroir. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Best from 2023 through 2035.
One of the world’s most classic and popular styles of red wine, Bordeaux-inspired blends have spread from their homeland in France to nearly every corner of the New World. Typically based on either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot and supported by Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot, the best of these are densely hued, fragrant, full of fruit and boast a structure that begs for cellar time. Somm Secret—Blends from Bordeaux are generally earthier compared to those from the New World, which tend to be fruit-dominant.
The Rutherford sub-region of Napa Valley centers on the town of Rutherford and covers some of Napa Valley’s finest vineyard real estate, spanning from the Mayacamas in the west, to the Vaca Mountains on the other side of the valley.
Inside of the Rutherford AVA, bordering the Mayacamas, is a stretch of uplands called the Rutherford Bench. (These bench lands technically run the length of Oakville as well). Mountain runoff creates deep, well-drained, alluvial soils on the bench, giving vine roots plenty of reason to permeate deep into the ground. The result is wine with great structure and complexity.
Rutherford Cabernet Sauvingons and Bordeaux Blends garner substantial attention for their enticing fragrances of dusty earth and dried herbs, broad and juicy mid-palates and lush and fine-grained tannins. The sub-appellation claims some of the valley’s most prized vineyards today, namely Caymus, Rubicon and Beckstoffer Georges III.
It is also home to Napa’s most influential and historic personalities. Thomas Rutherford, responsible for the appellation's name, made serious investments here in grape growing and wine production between the years of 1850 to 1880. Gustave Niebaum purchased a large swath of land and completed his winery in 1887, calling it “Inglenook.” Today this remains the oldest bonded winery in California. Georges Latour founded Beaulieu Vineyard in 1900, making it the oldest continuous winery in the state. Latour also hired the famous enologist, André Tchelistcheff, a man credited for single-handedly defining the modern Napa winemaking style.