May 15, 2013 – Wines to celebrate an occasion

Tonight was a special occasion and required wines appropriate for the occasion.  I opened two half-bottles and poured into two glasses to share and compare side-by-side.  Both wines exceeded my expectations.  Picking a favorite was extremely difficult.  I leaned toward the surprising elegance of the Rudd, while my companion preferred the persistent finish of the Rubicon.  Thank goodness I don’t have to pick just one favorite!


Side-by-side, the 2002 Rubicon Estate Red and the 2002 Rudd Estate Red

2002 Rubicon Estate Red

The first time I opened this bottle I was amazed by its quality.  I half expected this youthful splendor to wane as the wine aged a bit, but that hasn’t happened.  Instead, this wine has evolved and become more pure and delicious with each bottle opened.  (I had the fortune to stumble upon a case of half-bottles at a fair discount back in 2007.)  Tonight, this wine was the more powerful of the two wines, which surprised me.  In past tastings (though never side-by-side), I always found the Rubicon to be more balanced and restrained than the Rudd.  The Rubicon retained its consistency as the Rudd took a radical turn toward elegance.  Tonight, the Rubicon was exceptionally smooth, with controlled power and a lingering finish, featuring clean flavors of red currant, baking spices, leather, black cherry, and slight mineral notes.  The Rubicon is made from grapes grown in Rutherford.

2002 Rudd Estate Red

The real surprise tonight was the change in the Rudd Estate Red.  In my last tasting about 18 months ago, this wine was far from being ready, with big tannins and power.  Tonight, this wine has turned into a sublimely elegant expression of California Cabernet at its finest.  After a 90 minute decanting, the wine was silky smooth, featuring flavors of beautiful red currants, red rose petals, baking spices, leather, and black cherry.  All in all, a very complex wine, albeit with a shorter finish than the persistent Rubicon.  The Rudd is made from grapes grown in Oakville.