2003 Rubicon Estate Rutherford “Rubicon”

Paul and I enjoyed this wine with our wives and a few good friends last night at Brix wine bar in Houston, located in the new Vintage Park complex at Louetta Rd and FM 249 in Houston, TX. We had several of the wines from Rubicon last night including the Merlot, and Cask, but this was the star. Although 2003 was not an overall good vintage for California this wine is impressive and is much better than the reviews it received upon it’s release with the notoriously low scoring (IMO) ST giving it a 91. All Rubicon vineyards are hand harvested in the early morning in small bins, with the fruit being hand-sorted before the crushing. A second sorting of the must is done to remove any broken stems or leaves . The grapes are organically grown, and the wine is naturally fermented in wooden open Faransaud open-top tanks.

Wine Details:

Vintage: 2003

Winery: Rubicon Estate

Appellation: Rutherford CA

Varietal: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot

Tasting notes: Beautiful dark garnet color in the glass. On the nose cascading dark fruit aromatics of blackberry, black cherry, dark ripe plum, and black currants. As the wine opens up aromas of Caryola, pencil lead, leather, tobacco leaf, dark mushroom, menthol, cedar box, and toasty oak come through, followed by spices of fresh black pepper, star anise, nutmeg, and a hint of vanilla bean. The nose also has that famous Rutherford dusty/rusty mineral component that I love so much. On the palate the fruit is ripe, rich, creamy, and impeccably balanced with a nice round mouth-feel. the mid palate is beautifully focused and the finish is wonderfully long and enjoyable. This wine has improved with time in the bottle and I think could be enjoyed for many more years to come.

Rating: 95 JH