2019 Inglenook, Rubicon, Rutherford, Napa Valley, California, USA

The flagship 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Rubicon is slightly deeper purple-hued and checks in as a blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc, and 3% Petit Verdot. It's a clear step up, offering a terrific nose of ripe cassis and spiced currant fruits as well as cedary herbs, tobacco, and earth. Nicely concentrated, medium to full-bodied, and balanced, it has plenty of up-front charm as do most 2019s) yet will have two decades of longevity. It needs plenty of air to show at its best today, so don't be afraid to put this in a decanter. 7363 cases.

Drink 2022 - 2042

A storming, stonking Napa wine, playing at the top of its game in 2019. Somehow takes the power and concentration of Napa but makes it full of texture, life, light and shade. Espresso, liqourice root, cocoa bean, cassis, cranberry, black cherry, cold ash and crayon. Hard not to fall in love with, nothing overdone, everything in its place. Director of winemaking Philippe Bascaules. All aged in French oak barrels, 75% new.

Drink 2026 to 2042.

The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Rubicon offers a captivating mix of textural intensity and vibrancy. Black cherry, spice, rose petal, menthol and licorice are all beautifully delineated. A wine of vertical lift and drive, the 2019 has the vibrancy to develop beautifully for years to come.

Drink 2025 - 2039

The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon Rubicon is a blend of 81% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Merlot, 5% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple in color, the nose pops with vivacious notes of warm cassis, blackberry pie and redcurrant jelly, plus hints of crushed rocks, bay leaves and pencil lead. Medium to full-bodied, it delivers a solid, firm and grainy texture with a lively backbone cutting through dense earth-laced layers, finishing long and minerally. Impressive!

Drink 2024 - 2044

Aromas of ripe berries, sweet vanilla, licorice, dark chocolate and bread crust. Notes of dried herbs and pinewood, too. So well grounded. Smooth, with a lingering, silky mouth-feel. Full body and ripe, chewy tannins. Toned and muscular with hints of crushed rocks. Firm, linear finish. Try after 2025.