Just Tasted & Highly-Recommended - A Gorgeous Napa From Its greatest Vintage

The 2013 Inglenook Rubicon is an absolute gem. The product of a vintage described by Robert Parker as “a game-changer in terms of the consistency of quality, the depth of quality, and the across-the-board excellence”; it was recently tasted in London and is stunning. We are, therefore, delighted to have pristine cases and rare and highly-desirable magnums to offer that have never left professional storage.

This 2013 marked a turning point for the historical Inglenook winery. Not only was it a benchmark year for the region, but it was also the first vintage made by Philippe Bascaules, the long-serving Estate Director at Margaux. His magic touch is evident as this is a terrific wine and, while still very Napa, the focus on elegance and precision – thanks to early picking, moderate use of oak, and relatively low alcohols (this is 13.5%) are clear.

It was a visionary style then, very much not the norm for Napa, and Parker wasn’t a fan, awarding it a mere 88+ points in 2015, perhaps because its finessed style stood apart from the rest. This score is a bonus as if he’d gone high, this 2013 would now be impossible to find. His, in my opinion, unfairly low score kept it under the radar and means a rare chance to buy a 2013 Napa in reasonable quantity ten years after the harvest.

Bascaules has been vindicated, not just by our tasting, but also by one from Jane Anson in 2020. For her, this was “so good, with a still muscular structure that is turning into a slow stretch of supple tannins” and “this is definitely in sight of peak drinking”. She gives an excellent, and much more accurate, 97 points.