I’d never had Rubicon and wondered what it would be like in its 16th year. I decanted it about 1 1/2 hours prior to serving. The wine was a deep, dark purple with no browning. The nose revealed a barely perceptable eucalyptus hidden among some fairly big alcohol aromas. It still seemed fairly young with quite chewy tannins on the finish. The taste was of anise and earthy leather with just a touch of something else -- cinnamon perhaps. WS gave this wine an 88 back in 1993 and said that it might be better after 1996. I’ll go along with the 88 but advise trying this one again in a couple of years. It MIGHT get a bit better.

It takes a lot of good beer to make great wine.

I had this wine once, about 2 years ago. I also felt it was a sub-90 point wine, but not by much. It seemed at its prime when we had it. I'd have never waited an hour and a half to serve it after decanting. I'd have served it immediately or after only a few minutes.

Just one more sip.

Thanks, Board-o. I trust your judgement. Perhaps the problem was I decanted too long. I'm still trying to get the knack of when/how long on decanting for various wines at various ages.

It takes a lot of good beer to make great wine.

I taste almost everything I decant immediately and follow its progress. I find Pinot Noirs need the most breathing time, BY FAR! After experimentation, I've found, for example, the '99 Martinelli PN Reserve needs three hours after splash decanting. Most Cabernets, at 15+ years, need very little time, imo.

Just one more sip.