As you might expect in this top Napa Cab vintage ever, this is the top Rubicon ever on CellarTracker.
As well as the best ever for Decanter (with two great reviews):
One would be hard-pressed to find a more definitive showing of Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon. Just enough oak-treatment apparent on the nose to add complexity, melting perfectly into the brooding, dark black fruits underneath. The palate is plush, forward and dusty with a subtle, snappy quality to the finish. It has become rare that the premier (and most expensive) wine from a Napa producer is not simply a bigger and riper iteration of other wines in the lineup. Such is not the case with Inglenook’s Rubicon. A modern classic. 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc, 1% Petit Verdot.
A lovely enticing nose filled with rich plum, fig and blackcurrant fruits - heady and opulent. The palate is precise with a distinct texture, certainly dense and ripe but the flavours just settle on the tongue giving spiced touches of liquorice but allowing the freshness and acidity to underpin the overall taste. It feels very carefully constructed with everything in place allowing power and generality but neatly packaged and not overdone.
Best ever and a Top 100 wine for Suckling, too.
Coppola’s ambitions here are unbounded, as is his commitment. (It isn’t easy to entice a winemaker to leave a First Growth Bordeaux!) Here they appear to be realized.
