Inglenook’s 2020 Rubicon is the estate’s flagship Bordeaux-style red from Rutherford in Napa Valley, made under director Philippe Bascaules for owner Francis Ford Coppola. It’s a Cabernet Sauvignon–driven blend, with multiple reviewers citing 91% Cabernet Sauvignon and 9% Merlot. The 2020 vintage was defined by heat and wildfires, and Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate reports that, according to consultant Chris Phelps, “nothing picked after September 27 (the day the Glass Fire ignited) went into the final blend,” a key decision in a year when many wines were shaped by smoke concerns.
In the glass, reviewers converge on a wine that combines ripe Napa fruit with a more sculpted, mineral-leaning structure than the stereotypical blockbuster. James Suckling’s 96-point review is an excellent score, highlighting aromatic lift: “So perfumed with lavender, violets, bark and blackcurrants,” plus “mint and spearmint,” and praising “integrated tannins and a gorgeous finish,” adding that it is “extremely well done for a 2020.”
The strongest praise comes from Jane Anson, who awarded an excellent 97 points and calls attention to the site and the wine’s controlled power. She notes it can be “austere on the opening beats,” then expands into “black Cabernet fruits shot through with grilled sandalwood, cocoa bean, tea, cigar box and cloves,” with “pomegranate and oyster shell” bringing “nuance and freshness.”
Oak is a prominent part of the build: Decanter notes ageing “20 months in French oak, 75% new,” and scores it an excellent 95, describing it as “ripe and heady,” “supple and forward,” with lingering “flint and pencil-lead aspects.” That said, Decanter also finds the tannins “slightly… drying” and the mid-palate “a little tight” at this stage.
Wine Advocate (93 points) agrees the season shows, citing “dark chocolate nuances” over “charred cedar, cassis and black cherries,” and a finish that is “concentrated and long,” if a touch “coarse” in texture. Overall, the top reviews suggest a serious, age-worthy Rubicon that’s already delivering perfume and detail, with structure that should knit further with time.
