The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Rubicon is dark, supple and super-expressive. It shows higher ripeness and a stronger oak imprint than the Cabernet Sauvignon. Even so, it has aged very well. Dark plum, espresso, licorice, sweet spice and a kiss of toasted French oak lend notable complexity throughout. In this tasting, ripeness and new oak feel accented, certainly more so than when this wine was younger. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, May 2024)
The 2013 Cabernet Sauvignon Rubicon is dark, supple and super-expressive. It shows higher ripeness and a stronger oak imprint than the Cabernet Sauvignon. Even so, it has aged very well. Dark plum, espresso, licorice, sweet spice and a kiss of toasted French oak lend notable complexity throughout. In this tasting, ripeness and new oak feel accented, certainly more so than when this wine was younger. (Antonio Galloni, Vinous, May 2024)
May 10th, 2024
Flight #1 of our 1997 Retrospective. Presented single-blind; no formal notes. On the nose, this shared similar characteristics to wine #3. The most striking of which was a powerful note of finely ground cumin on the nose. Fruit is mostly desiccated at this point; the structure keeping everything together, but just. I called this to be “Rubicon”. While clearly in the sunset of its life, this showed slightly less energy than the Dalla Valle but no less charm. Drink now.
Flight #1 of our 1997 Retrospective. Presented single-blind; no formal notes. On the nose, this shared similar characteristics to wine #3. The most striking of which was a powerful note of finely ground cumin on the nose. Fruit is mostly desiccated at this point; the structure keeping everything together, but just. I called this to be “Rubicon”. While clearly in the sunset of its life, this showed slightly less energy than the Dalla Valle but no less charm. Drink now.
Jan 28th, 2024
Drank 10/24/23.
Nice black and purple fruit on the nose with a bit of earth and funk that mostly blows off after 30 min. Similar palate with dusty tannins. This was better a few years ago, but it is still quite good. Drink now.
4/21/8/4/4 + 50 = 91 pts.
Drank 10/24/23.
Nice black and purple fruit on the nose with a bit of earth and funk that mostly blows off after 30 min. Similar palate with dusty tannins. This was better a few years ago, but it is still quite good. Drink now.
4/21/8/4/4 + 50 = 91 pts.
Oct 24th, 2023
Awesome, very little color development and fruit and acidity still intact. Reminded me of a good Margaux...
Awesome, very little color development and fruit and acidity still intact. Reminded me of a good Margaux...
Nov 27th, 2020
Really young, it needs way more time in the bottle. It has really great bones, it just needs some time to soften up the tannins, great fruit.
Really young, it needs way more time in the bottle. It has really great bones, it just needs some time to soften up the tannins, great fruit.
Nov 3rd, 2020
Birth year stunner. An amazing example of Classic Cali Cabernet: moss, eucalyptus, mint, dried blueberry.
Birth year stunner. An amazing example of Classic Cali Cabernet: moss, eucalyptus, mint, dried blueberry.
3 people found it helpfulApr 5th, 2015
Rutherford, Napa Valley, California, USA
