Rubus is a brand and private label created and used by Kysela Pere et Fil
s in order to buy, bottle and market wine found at an incredible quality/price ratio (QPR). All Rubus wines are selected by Fran Kysela, MS and it was first used for a superb batch of 1,200 cases of Amador county Zinfandel back in 1997. The wine sold in a few days and the Rubus brand was not used since then.
Except….
While tasting some incredible wines during a trip to California in 2009, Fran Kysela decided to help resurrect the brand, creating an outstanding Cabernet Sauvignon from the Stags Leap district in Napa Valley. Over the next decade, the Rubus project has grown in terms of products, sources and quality. Wines from Napa Valley and Lodi, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Argentina, France, and Spain are currently included in the project. Rubus is now its own brand representing quality for the consumer and an incredible price along the way.
Positioned between the San Francisco Bay and the Sierra Nevada mountain range, the Lodi appellation, while relatively far inland, is able to maintain a classic Mediterranean climate featuring warm, sunny days and cool evenings. A premier source of 100+ year old ancient Zinfandel vineyards, some dating back as far as 1888, with its low yields of small berries these heritage vines produce wines that are concentrated, rich and voluptuous with loads of dark fruit.
The 2016 is a mind-blowing Zin. Produced mainly from a blend of old and not-so-old vines in Lodi, this is chock-full of ripe brambly aromas of rich, juicy blackberry, dense black cherry fruit combined with the smell of rich dark soil and toasted spices that roar from the glass. Dense and youthful in the mouth, with lots of straightforward raspberry/black cherry fruit and some noticeable rustic tannin as well, this wine could do with a year aging just to settle down and drop some of the bolder tannins but it is very hard to resist now with pasta dishes, grilled steaks and stews. Another Zin gem. Fantastic value for an ‘Old Vine’ Zin. Enjoy now-2014. $13.99 at Costco.
In Vino Veritas
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