2004 Rubicon Estate "Rubicon" Rutherford Bordeaux Blend

*Top 100 Wines of 2008* From the historic Inglenook Estate, a sweet spot in the Rutherford bench that has been farmed organically since Gustav Niebaum planted vines here in the 1880s. Winemaker Scott McLeod is now in his 20th year at Rubicon, working with Francis Ford Coppola and his family who have been busy resurrecting the property since 1975. Rubicon is a selection of the more concentrated fruit from the estate, dark in tone with what McLeod describes as a violet character. The '04, from a hot vintage and a relatively early harvest, is marked by the baritone depths small berries and low yields can give. The wine feels compressed, its power magnificent. In addition to whatever trademark combination of flavor and structure places it clearly as Rubicon, it also has that distinctive Rutherford dust character , like pollen dusting a black cherry. One of the true greats from Napa Valley.