Wine-savvy

[agxo3]

Went to Rubicon Estates (formerly Neibaum-Coppola - still owned by FF Coppola, but renamed) to taste the newly released 2005 Rubicon. I've got one of every Rubicon since 1995 - and I get two of the 2005 in my next shipment.

 

Tasting notes - a (very) small percentage of petit verdot adds character to the cabernet sauvignon that makes up the rest of the wine. No cab franc this time around, nor malbec, nor merlot, all of which have been included at some point or another in the blending of other vintages. The petit verdot grapes were fermented along with the cab in the oak fermenter rather than being blended in later. Fermented in the barrel then left to age. The wine is big and bold, with intense blackberries on the palate, leading to cassis and some black plum. Smoke and red cherries on the nose. Drinks really well right now, but I expect it to age well for another 5-7 years. I do not expect it to last much beyond that, however, making it not the BEST of the Rubicons in my wine fridge.

 

Let's see -

1995 - my wine conversion moment. This is when the lightbulb goes on and you say - "So THAT's what good wine is all about!"

1996 - a bit of a let down. Still a good wine, but not up to the standards set by the '95

1997 - Wow! Rubicon is back! Not as fruit forward, but loads of black fruit balancing the tannins.

1998 - Ooooohhhhh - not a good year for grapes in Napa. NO Rubicon produced this year. Grapes just not good enough. I tasted another '98 cab from the area - tart, very light tannins - didn't last more than a couple of years.

1999 - Napa cabs rebound and have a fantastic year. Big, heft tannins. I think this ought to be ready to drink right around NOW..

2000 - Good, middle of the road Rubicon. Kinda like the '96.

2001 - See 2001

2002 - A revelation. Wow! Much like the '95 but not as fruit forward. Should be ready to drink next year.

2003 - Not bad! Not as good as '02 but very nice. Drink in 2011-12.

2004 - See 2000. Good but not great.

 

1995, 1999 and 2002 are best of the best.......

 

Also tasted the new reisling - very, very nice! Almost rose in characteristics, and will stand up to lightly smoked or cured meats such as ham, so should be a good summer picnic wine.

 

Also stopped by the new Michael Chiarello restaurant in Yountville for late lunch/early dinner. Bottega takes up the back quarter of the ground floor of the Vintage 1870 building. Napa Style (also owned by M.C.) took over the wine store in the back building. Not cheap but excellent food. The proscuitto with "pasta fritta" and a small cup of lambrusco to cut the richness won the appetizer sweepstakes - my wife had the burrata with shaved and fried artichoke hearts. Good but more conventional. For dinner she had the sea scallops with pureed garbanzos (not hummus - more Italian in flavor) and roasted cauliflower. I had the flatiron steak with parmesan garlic fries on a pepper coulis. A great ending to a good day of wine tasting.

[JohnMayall]

Sol de Espana is good value at 150, but be sure to buy the dry. Carlo Rossi is not for the Connoisseur.

[payatot]

Let's have an EB. I'll bring a tempranillo.

IF i get invited,

i'll bring myself

[storm]

Went to Rubicon Estates (formerly Neibaum-Coppola - still owned by FF Coppola, but renamed) to taste the newly released 2005 Rubicon. I've got one of every Rubicon since 1995 - and I get two of the 2005 in my next shipment.

 

Tasting notes - a (very) small percentage of petit verdot adds character to the cabernet sauvignon that makes up the rest of the wine. No cab franc this time around, nor malbec, nor merlot, all of which have been included at some point or another in the blending of other vintages. The petit verdot grapes were fermented along with the cab in the oak fermenter rather than being blended in later. Fermented in the barrel then left to age. The wine is big and bold, with intense blackberries on the palate, leading to cassis and some black plum. Smoke and red cherries on the nose. Drinks really well right now, but I expect it to age well for another 5-7 years. I do not expect it to last much beyond that, however, making it not the BEST of the Rubicons in my wine fridge.

 

Let's see -

1995 - my wine conversion moment. This is when the lightbulb goes on and you say - "So THAT's what good wine is all about!"

1996 - a bit of a let down. Still a good wine, but not up to the standards set by the '95

1997 - Wow! Rubicon is back! Not as fruit forward, but loads of black fruit balancing the tannins.

1998 - Ooooohhhhh - not a good year for grapes in Napa. NO Rubicon produced this year. Grapes just not good enough. I tasted another '98 cab from the area - tart, very light tannins - didn't last more than a couple of years.

1999 - Napa cabs rebound and have a fantastic year. Big, heft tannins. I think this ought to be ready to drink right around NOW..

2000 - Good, middle of the road Rubicon. Kinda like the '96.

2001 - See 2001

2002 - A revelation. Wow! Much like the '95 but not as fruit forward. Should be ready to drink next year.

2003 - Not bad! Not as good as '02 but very nice. Drink in 2011-12.

2004 - See 2000. Good but not great.

 

1995, 1999 and 2002 are best of the best.......

 

Also tasted the new reisling - very, very nice! Almost rose in characteristics, and will stand up to lightly smoked or cured meats such as ham, so should be a good summer picnic wine.

 

Also stopped by the new Michael Chiarello restaurant in Yountville for late lunch/early dinner. Bottega takes up the back quarter of the ground floor of the Vintage 1870 building. Napa Style (also owned by M.C.) took over the wine store in the back building. Not cheap but excellent food. The proscuitto with "pasta fritta" and a small cup of lambrusco to cut the richness won the appetizer sweepstakes - my wife had the burrata with shaved and fried artichoke hearts. Good but more conventional. For dinner she had the sea scallops with pureed garbanzos (not hummus - more Italian in flavor) and roasted cauliflower. I had the flatiron steak with parmesan garlic fries on a pepper coulis. A great ending to a good day of wine tasting.

 

Thanks agxo! Nakakagutom and tulong laway. Hehehehe.

[agxo3]

Just got my shipment! 2 2005 Rubicons and a 2007 Blancaneaux.

 

Blancaneaux is the Rubicon of whites. 58% rousanne,31% viognier, 11% marsanne. The structure of a rousanne with the floral notes of a viognier. Not sure what the marsanne contributes......

 

I'm not much of a fan of viogniers because they are so perfumey, but in small doses that floral note is not bad! And the "sweetness" of the fruit balances the tanginess of the rousanne very nicely. Some shale and other mineral notes, peach and a hint of vanilla. Citrus and honeysuckle on the nose. A nice addition to the few whites I keep around just for those rare occasions where a white works better than a red.

[floppydrive]

Just got my shipment! 2 2005 Rubicons and a 2007 Blancaneaux.

 

Blancaneaux is the Rubicon of whites. 58% rousanne,31% viognier, 11% marsanne. The structure of a rousanne with the floral notes of a viognier. Not sure what the marsanne contributes......

 

I'm not much of a fan of viogniers because they are so perfumey, but in small doses that floral note is not bad! And the "sweetness" of the fruit balances the tanginess of the rousanne very nicely. Some shale and other mineral notes, peach and a hint of vanilla. Citrus and honeysuckle on the nose. A nice addition to the few whites I keep around just for those rare occasions where a white works better than a red.

Hi Agxo!

 

This made me realize that the flavors of whites are still foreign to me. hahaha

 

Great chronological comparison of the Rubicons! Did they produce the reisling you mentioned or was that from a different winery? How does it compare with the Rhine Valley Rieslings?

[agxo3]

Hi Agxo!

 

This made me realize that the flavors of whites are still foreign to me. hahaha

 

Great chronological comparison of the Rubicons! Did they produce the reisling you mentioned or was that from a different winery? How does it compare with the Rhine Valley Rieslings?

 

Hi FD!

 

The reisling is indeed produced by Rubicon Estates. This is the second year they're produced this wine, I think. It's part of the "Sofia" line of non-reds. Sofia wines also include a sparkling wine and a rose.

 

California reislings are very different from the German and Alsatian reislings - more citrus-y, less "sweet fruit"-y. Also, they tend to be more dry than most German reislings, although I've had some bone-dry German offerings. This one has 0.5% (according to the server) residual sugar - enough to cut the dry alcohol character but not enough to make it sweet. There are some off-dry (as in, rather sweet for MY taste) California reislings but I'm not really fond of those wines. If I wanted that kind of wine, I'd go for a German or Alsatian offering, or for a Vouvray instead.

[floppydrive]

Hi FD!

 

The reisling is indeed produced by Rubicon Estates. This is the second year they're produced this wine, I think. It's part of the "Sofia" line of non-reds. Sofia wines also include a sparkling wine and a rose.

 

California reislings are very different from the German and Alsatian reislings - more citrus-y, less "sweet fruit"-y. Also, they tend to be more dry than most German reislings, although I've had some bone-dry German offerings. This one has 0.5% (according to the server) residual sugar - enough to cut the dry alcohol character but not enough to make it sweet. There are some off-dry (as in, rather sweet for MY taste) California reislings but I'm not really fond of those wines. If I wanted that kind of wine, I'd go for a German or Alsatian offering, or for a Vouvray instead.

Sofia! I hope it's not like the movies produced by her daughter "Sofia", I don't get her movies. hehehe

[bods1000]

Sofia! I hope it's not like the movies produced by her daughter "Sofia", I don't get her movies. hehehe

 

well at least it was through Sofia Coppola that Scarlett Johansson was introduced to the world

hmmm no wines named Scarlett around there, agxo? :thumbsupsmiley:

[payatot]

my wife loves the sofia blanc de blancs

it's a dry, fruity sparkling wine

for some reason though, the packaging does not appeal to me

[storm]

well at least it was through Sofia Coppola that Scarlett Johansson was introduced to the world

hmmm no wines named Scarlett around there, agxo? :thumbsupsmiley:

 

 

Hehehe. Actually, Scarlett was introduced in "the Horse Whisperer". Kate Bosworth of "Blue Crush" and "21" was also in that movie.

[agxo3]

Sofia! I hope it's not like the movies produced by her daughter "Sofia", I don't get her movies. hehehe

 

Sofia is NOT a good filmmaker! But the Sofia wines are pretty good for what they are - lightweight, easy drinking wines. Not complex, not wines to put down and cellar - drink 'em NOW!

 

As you might know, Coppola split his winemaking opeations - Rubicon Estates (formerly Niebaum-Coppola and before that Inglenook) in Rutherford produces the upper end wines - Rubicon, Cask Cabernet, Captain's Reserve. And the Sofia wines which are kind of a anomaly. But Sofia is his daughter, after all......

 

The other half moved to Healdsburg in Sonoma County, the former site of Chateau Souverain. Nice place! Now called Rosso Bianco (or something like that....) it produces the more affordable wines - Director's Cut, Director's Reserve, what used to be the Diamond Series wines so named because the labels all featured a diamond-shaped design.

 

NO Scarlett wines, Storm, sorry! But the blanc de (du??) blanc is a very competent sparkler that works well for general everyday drinking. I wouldn't serve it for a special occasion, though. For that I'd go with a Schramsberg or Domaine Chandon (if going Californian), Veuve Cliquot or Perrier-Jouet if French. Or a not-so-common sparkling Vouvray! That would be nice.....

[payatot]

^^^agree the blanc de blancs is NOT for special occasions

like you, i like domaine chandon as well

although i think i love the food in their restaurant more than their wines

Edited March 19, 2009 by payatot

[agxo3]

^^^agree the blanc de blancs is NOT for special occasions

like you, i like domaine chandon as well

although i think i love the food in their restaurant more than their wines

 

I used to like their restaurant but ever since Philippe Jeanty left to do his own thing (and that was MANY years ago!) it just doesn't seem the same. Of course, I haven't been there in years, too, and maybe they have a new chef?

 

For a CA sparkler, you might want to try the Brut or the Brut Rose from J in Healdsburg. Very nice. I used to belong to their wine club and I'd get a couple of bottles through the year and a magnum for the holidays.

Edited March 19, 2009 by agxo3

[vcm643]

am new to red wine drinking... what is the best red wine you guys can recommend around the 400 to 600 peso level. Tried those 2++.++ ones and I did't really like them (again, I might have made the wrong choice in my selection coz like i said, i am a newbie).