Review: Ron Rubin, Pinot Noir

Ron Rubin, the person and namesake of the Ron Rubin Winery, is more than just a wine producer — you might call him a beverage mogul. He grew up working in his family’s wholesale liquor company in Illinois, which he expanded into wine distribution. He is the owner of the tea company, The Republic of Tea, which he purchased in 1994. And he has two Sonoma County, California wine brands, Ron Rubin Winery and River Road.

The Ron Rubin Winery focuses on producing Burgundian-style Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from Sonoma County’s Russian River Valley. The winery is in a cool, foggy area, 14 miles from the Pacific coast — a great climate for producing Pinot Noir.

A little over a year ago I reviewed the 2017 vintage of the Ron Rubin, Russian River Valley Pinot Noir. I recall that vintage as a very good Pinot Noir, which I gave a 90 point rating. So, when I had the opportunity to check out the 2018 vintage I decided to do a review of it as well. It’s always interesting to compare different vintages of the same wine.

Both vintages are very good and have some noticeable similarities (e.g., intense cherry and cranberry flavors, baking spices), but also some differences. The 2018 vintage offers more herbal notes than I recall from the 2017.

Tasting Notes

Cherry is the focus on the nose of this wine, but there are plenty of other aromas swirling around, such as vanilla, cranberry, sage and dill. Cherry is also the star on the palate, where it’s bright and complimented by raspberry and cranberry flavors along with a subtle, earthy bitterness and light baking spice flavors. The mouthfeel is nice and soft. The finish is quite long with lingering red berry and spice flavors.

Wine: Ron Rubin, Russian River Valley, Pinot Noir
Varieties: 100% Pinot Noir
Vintage: 2018
Alcohol: 14.3%
Rating: 91
Average price: $25
Disclosure: This wine was received as a media sample.