Wine Orbit, October 2015, Sam Kim

97 points

“Flagship wine of this famous winery, this cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, petit verdot and merlot blend is formidable and impressively expressed. Gloriously complex bouquet shows dark fruit, mixed spice, dark chocolate, cedar and game with hints of dried herb and roasted nut characters. The palate is full, expansive and velvety, with layers of rich texture and sweet berry flavours. It is wonderfully structured with loads of polished tannins, and finishes superbly long and seamless.”

Napa, California

WineSpectator.com, November 2013, JL

93 points

“A classy, well-structured effort, with flavors that build and gain depth around a core of loamy earth, espresso, dark berry, cedary oak and tobacco. Most impressive on the graceful, long and persistent finish. Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Merlot. Drink now through 2026. 3,700 cases made.”

eRobert Parker Wine Advocate #204 December 2012, Antonio Galloni

90 points

Super-ripe dark cherries, plums, cassis and mocha take shape in the 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon Rubicon. This is a fairly bold style, even within the context of the year. The ripeness and opulence of the fruit seems to reflect the heat waves of the year. Stylistically, the Rubicon is similar to the Cask, but with naturally more body and a bit more overtness and overall ripeness. The 2010 Rubicon is 87% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6% Cabernet Franc, 5% Petit Verdot and 2% Merlot. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2025.

Proprietor Francis Ford Coppola continues to move forward with his project to restore Inglenook, one of Napa Valley’s historic estates, to its previous glory. Coppola has certainly been willing to put everything on the line, bringing in viticulturist Stephane Derenoncourt in 2008 and winemaker Philippe Bascaules, from Chateau Margaux, in 2011. Naturally, it is too early to see the results of these two very high-profile hires, but count me among those who are highly interested to see what develops here over the next few years. There are now essentially two Cabernet Sauvignon-based wines. The Cask is made from vineyards on the front portion of the property bordering Highway 29, while Rubicon is made from vineyards located at the back of the estate. Inglenook will no longer bottle other single-variety wines.