Rubicon, Inglenook Winery 2018

Subtle and complex red with blackberry, black truffle, sweet tobacco and mahogany. Highlights of lavender and violets. Full-bodied and very tight with finesse and tension. Very polished, fine tannins. Long finish. Delicious already, but best after 2022.

A blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Rubicon sports a deep garnet-purple color and expressive notes of mocha, tapenade, grilled meats and cedar with a core of creme de cassis, baked plums and blackberry pie plus a waft of garrigue. The full-bodied palate has tons of juicy black fruit layers, supported by fine-grained tannins and oodles of freshness, finishing long and fragrant.

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Rubicon is based on a blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot, and the balance Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. It’s a more backward, closed wine, offering classy notes of crème de cassis, lead pencil shavings, freshly crushed stone, and cedar. More medium to full-bodied and elegant, I’d like to see a touch more density and richness on the mid-palate, but it's beautifully balanced, has gorgeous tannins, integrated acidity, and outstanding length on the finish. Give this classic, impressive, old school beauty 4-5 years in the cellar and enjoy over the following 15-20.

There is the smokiest, sexiest, barely there and yet so precise sense of power. Just a great mix between the generosity of Napa and the elegance and balance of a European winemaking mindset. The tannins show sinew and muscle but allow juice to flow through them from beginning to end. An excellent vintage that once again shows Rubicon setting the pace for Rutherford Cabernet, and proving how nuanced and thrilling it can be. All aged in French oak barrels, 75% new. Philippe Bascaules winemaking director.