Very deep, youthful colour, and intense almost purple hue. Quintessential Rubicon nose with violets, ripe plum, cedar wood, fennel, and intense spiciness. A typical liquorice note also evident on the nose. Still young and intense, the palate is full bodied, structured but packed with fresh dark fruit and rounded tannins. This is a vintage that is more approachable in youth because of the ripeness and richness levels attained in 2018 but will provide great complexity with further maturation.
Blend: 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc, 4% Petit Verdot
92 Robert Parker's Wine Advocate Composed of mostly Cabernet Sauvignon with 19% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot, the 2018 Rubicon offers a broad-shouldered expression with an Old World essence. The nose explodes with a wide variety of aromas, expressing a subtle Old World funk with an equally pleasing amount of New World vibrancy and freshness. Medium to full-bodied, the palate offers dark fruit flavors with a fine beam of acidity while expressing a firm tannic edge that will loosen in time. The wine glides to a refined and complex finish that will continue to evolve gracefully for a decade.
92 Wine & Spirits This blend, based on cabernet sauvignon with merlot, cabernet franc and petit verdot, has a broad frame of gentle tannins. Its delicate, pretty fruit runs the color gamut from black to blue to red, all scented with a pleasantly humid forest-floor wildness. The shape of the wine seems barely larger than its flavors, which I found to offer direct and easy access to it complex aromas and fruit—like a picture frame.
91 Wine Spectator Broad and open-knit, this harmonious red integrates fine tannins with a fragrant overtone of cured tobacco, featuring baked currant and fig, fresh and loamy earth, black licorice twist and milled pepper. Fresh and focused on the finish, where the tobacco note lingers on. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Drink now.
95 Natalie MacLean Meerlust Rubicon 2018 is a full-bodied, smoky red blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 19% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 4% Petit Verdot with grapes sourced from four different terroirs. Produced by winemaker, Chris Williams, the wine is dry and full-bodied, fresh and youthful with earthy violets, ripe plum, blackberry, cedar brush and anise spice flavours. Tannins are pleasantly grippy. Each varietal was aged in 300 litre barrels and large foudres for eight months, then blended and matured for another 10 months in barrel prior to bottling. Good now, better in 2025 or cellar, as this wine will continue to evolve and develop over the next 10 years.
