Winemaker Notes
The 2015 Rubicon displays both elegance and generosity. Resonant scents of black cherries, blackberries, and other dark fruits are enhanced by subtle nuances of vanilla bean, mocha, and allspice. Round, lush, and sweet upon entry, this wine is absolutely seamless on the palate. Silky, fine-grained tannins lead to a lengthy, fragrant finish with flavors that echo perfectly the aromas on the nose.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Blackberry, blueberry, fresh mushroom and Spanish-cedar aromas. Full body and silky tannins with a lovely high tone of chocolate, currants and berries.
Rating: 95-96
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Jeb Dunnuck
A blend of 97% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Merlot, the 2015 Rubicon is slightly deeper in color than the 2014 and offers a deeper, more concentrated, yet slightly compact style that's common in this vintage. Blackcurrants, scorched earth, cedary spice, leafy herbs and licorice all flow to a ripe, beautifully concentrated, deep wine that needs 5-7 years of cellaring and will make for incredible drinking over the following 15+ years.
Rating: 95+
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Wine Enthusiast
From the esteemed producer's gorgeous estate, including 3% Merlot, this is impressive and structured—a leathery, viscous and concentrated expression of a great site in an intense vintage. Gunpowder, oak and black-cherry compote form around brightly captured acidity and a lasting fistful of baking spice that lingers and softens the finish.
Editor's Choice
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Decanter
Owner Francis Ford Coppola has a gem with winemaker Chris Phelps, formerly of Swanson Vineyards, Dominus and Petrus. He joined in 2016, working with Château Margaux’s Philippe Bascaules to reshape winemaking here. The Cabs are fresher, more elegant and balanced; this 2015 is fleshy and generous, without being extracted.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
A blend of 97% Cabernet Sauvignon and 3% Merlot, the medium to deep garnet-purple colored 2015 Cabernet Sauvignon Rubicon bursts out of the glass with exuberant Chinese five spice, baked plums and crème de cassis notes with suggestions of sandalwood, dried mulberries, kirsch and menthol plus a touch of cedar chest. Medium to full-bodied, it fills the palate with loads of spicy flavors and fantastic freshness, framed by chewy tannins and finishing on a lingering earthy note.
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Wine Spectator
This has an alluring beam of creamed raspberry and boysenberry fruit rolling through, laced with warmed red licorice, toasted vanilla and cedar hints. Has weight but comes off as stylish in the end. Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.
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.