This vintage has 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot. Refined and elegantly structured, it offers notes of currant, cedar and espresso, the tannins thick and firm. The savory concentration has an Old World charm and restraint with well-integrated oak. Enjoy best from 2028-2038.

The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon Rubicon is a dark, sumptuous beauty. Silky contours and soft curves wrap around a core of inky dark fruit, chocolate, new leather, licorice, spice and dried herbs. All the elements come together in this racy, opulent Cabernet from Inglenook. I am not sure Rubicon is meaningfully better or more complex than the Cabernet Sauvignon in 2018. It is richer and creamier, to be sure, but not necessarily more complex.

Alluring aromatically, with restrained yet complex notes of mulberry, loganberry and anise giving way to an equally understated core of the same, picking up light sassafras, black tea and incense hints. The refined structure lets this drape nicely on the finish, with a mineral hint chiming in. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot. Drink now through 2035. 8,600 cases made.

Inglenook's 2018 Rubicon is a blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 8% Merlot, 3% Cabernet Franc and 1% Petit Verdot, all aged 18 months in 75% new French oak. Scents of wood-grilled cherries, graham crackers and mint mark the nose, while the medium to full-bodied palate is tannic but ripe, with a certain austerity and reserve. It finishes long, which augurs well for the future, but it just isn't particularly charming right now.