Nose
delightfully fragrant black cherry, blueberry and dark plum aromas, with rich supporting scents of chocolate and toasted oak.
Palate
On the medium-bodied palate, the wine delivers impressively concentrated black cherry, blackberry, plum, and spiced mocha flavors framed by fine tannins and a long, savory finish mingling earthy blackberry, mocha and toasty oak tones.
Growing Conditions
2011 was among California’s coldest, wettest and most elongated vintages. Wet winter and spring weather extended into mid-June, delaying and disrupting budbreak, bloom and fruit set and setting the stage for an unusually cool summer growing season that culminated in a prolonged harvest beset by autumn rains. Experienced grape growers compensated for these challenging conditions by removing leaves from the vines to admit more sunlight and thinning bunches to ensure the remaining grape clusters ripened fully. These practices enabled us to produce many fine, elegant, full-flavored wines in 2011, including this delicious Rubáiyat.
Winemaking
Rubáiyat is a stellar example of expert blending. Each year, our winemaker, Julianne Laks, blends multiple small lots of separately harvested, fermented and aged red varietals to create a smooth, medium-bodied, fruit-forward red wine that beautifully accompanies a wide range of casual meals. In 2011, Julianne and her crew fermented six different lots of fruit – each one hand-harvested at night to preserve freshness and fruit purity – in small, open-top, stainless steel tanks, using manual punchdowns to gently macerate the juice and skins and extract optimal color and flavor. The wines aged 14 months in French oak barrels, 28% new, and were blended just before bottling to accentuate North Coast Rubáiyat’s characteristically ripe, fruit-forward aromas, rich, juicy flavors and smooth, supple tannins.
Aging
14 months in French oak, 28% new
Food Pairing
hearty foods, from grilled burgers, steaks and spicy sausages to barbecued ribs and chicken, and rich, tomato-based pastas.
