2011 Rubissow Wines Rubissow Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon

Rubissow Wines started life in 1986 when it was called Rubissow-Sargent. The estate was founded by George Rubissow, a scientist, engineer and musician, and Tony Sargent, a Napa Valley winemaker. Rubissow was born in Paris to Russian and Ukrainian parents, and in Napa Valley Rubissow struck up a friendship with the legendary winemaker Andre Tchelistcheff, who was Russian by birth. The pair conversed in Russian and Tchelistcheff offered viticultural and winemaking advice for Rubissow’s new winery. Today the Mt. Veeder estate has 18.5 acres of organically farmed vineyards, and it is owned and run by Rubissow’s children, Peter and Ariel. Timothy Milos is winemaker. The estate makes a limited number of red wines, primarily Cabernet Sauvignons, Merlot and Syrah.

Mount Veeder AVA was established in 1993, though its origins as a wine producing district date to the 19th century. A German Presbyterian pastor named Peter Veeder was one of the first landowners in the area, and by 1864 one of his neighbors, a German sea captain named Stelham Wing, was producing wine commercially. The area continued to attract German agricultural entrepreneurs, some of whom established the estate that would later become the Christian Brothers Mont La Salle winery. Today the AVA includes about 1,000 acres of vineyards, most of them at relatively high altitudes. The Mayacamas vineyard, for instance, is at 2,400 feet. Cabernet Sauvignon is the most frequently planted grape, followed by Malbec, Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot.

One of the most widely grown grape varieties, it can be found in nearly every wine growing region. A cross between Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc. It’s a hardy vine that produces a full-bodied wine with high tannins and great aging potential.