Twin Peaks, Part 2

The second wine that was opened for dinner, and it was opened simultaneously with the Tresor discussed below, was also from 2001.    That wine was a Niebaum Coppola Rubicon from the Rutherford AVA in Napa Valley.

This wine had a broken cork problem and the only way to open the bottle was to push the remains of the cork into the wine and pour the wine through a filter into a decanter. 

This wine was a bit closed and not revealing a great deal for the first ten minutes, but after that it grew more and more remarkable the longer it breathed.  There were wonderful aromas of fruit and earth and the taste was full of sweet, dark cherries, some red currants and a bit of anise.  Super structure to this wine with the tannins being fully incorporated and the wine being smooth and refreshing.  The finish was long, full and delicious.  At the very end there was a touch of earth and leather that made this wine even more appealing.  The wine was a blend of 89% Cabernet Sauvignon, 5% Merlot and 3% Petit Verdot.  It's remarkable what one can do with grape juice.

These two wines differed in that the Tresor tasted a bit younger than the Rubicon to me, but that's not saying the Rubicon tasted old.   The Tresor seemed more fruit forward, but certainly could never be described as a fruit bomb.  The Rubicon seemed slightly more complex, primarily in that wonderful finish.   Both were remarkable wines and a true treat to drink.

Niebaum-Coppola Rubicon.  14.14% alcohol and a $100 release price.