July 4, 2012 – Wine: 2002 Rubicon Estate Red

I only bought this wine out of curiosity.  “What does a 98 point wine taste like?” I thought before clicking on the Place Order button.  Well, exquisite richness and balance, and fascinating fruits … that’s what it tastes like.  The fun part about aging a wine like this is noticing the dramatic changes in the tasting experience as the wine ages.  The first time I tried this wine in 2007, I was amazed by its cocoa-powdered, pebbly tannins.  This time it is the pure red fruit flavors that have me hooked. This wine needs about 90 minutes in a decanter to open up.  Once it does, the palette offers up flavors of black cherry, cranberry, subtle minerals, and summer sweet Santa Rosa plums on the finish.  The fruit is just delightfully pure, though not overdone.  Shortly after opening the first bottle back in 2007, I sought out a case of the stuff to indulge upon over the coming decade.  This has been my fourth bottle so far.



2002 Rubicon Estate Red