Ron Rubin Green Valley Pinot Noir 2012
-
Spirits
Wine &
Product Details
Your Rating
Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
-
Wine & Spirits
Around half of this wine came from the River Road estate, which Ron Rubin, who owns The Republic of Tea, purchased in 2011. The remainder of the fruit came from a nearby vineyard also planted on Goldridge soil. It’s a pretty pinot noir with a cool, delicate, rosy scent, the fruit tangy with red currant brightness. Match its brisk energy to anything with pesto.
Other Vintages
2013-
Suckling
James -
Enthusiast
Wine
Forty years of pursuing a dream would deter most people, but not Ron Rubin. His dream of owning a winery began in college at UC-Davis when he was 22 years old. Although it took him to the age of 62 to achieve his dream, today The Rubin Family of Wines strikes the right balance of people, patience, location, sustainability, and quality to craft beautiful wines. It was the discovery of a hidden gem, a small 10 acres, which lead to the pursuit of Ron’s forty year old dream.
The Rubin Family of Wines protects their environment through sustainable practices. The Green Valley, where Rubin is located, of the Russian River Valley is an ideal location to grow grapes. It is the coolest and foggiest part of the RRV. Furthermore, the estate’s Goldrich soil is ideal for growing Pinot Noir, and other cool-climate grapes. Ron Rubin's holistic approach to winegrowing includes owl boxes for pest management, cover cops for nutrient rich soil, tilling weeds, drought tolerant insect friendly landscape, water use monitoring in soil with irrigation used in only extreme conditions, solar energy, etc.
Ron’s stewardship does not end in the vineyard and winery, he believes in giving back to the Sonoma County community through charities such as Food for Thought that supplies food and meals to those living with HIV/AIDS and other critical illnesses, School Garden Network that promotes healthy food choices and agricultural awareness in youth, and American Cancer Society’s Sebastopol Relay for Life, among others. Furthermore, the addition of the Ron Rubin Student Commons at Sonoma State University is designed to be an inspiring space for students and faculty as well as connect students from around the world studying to join the wine industry. In 2016, due to his innovative spirit, Ron Rubin was honored by North Bay Business Journal, when he received their 2016 Innovator of the Year Award.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
Situated on the foggier and colder western edge of the Russian River Valley, almost abutting the Sonoma Coast appellation, Green Valley is one of California’s most reputable Chardonnay and Pinot noir producing regions. It is also a wonderful source of sparkling wines made from these varieties.
Goldridge soils abound throughout the Green Valley appellation. This fine, dark, sandy loam and fractured sandstone is derived from the remains of ancient inland seabeds dating back three to five million years. It is valuable for high quality grape growing because of its excellent drainage and low fertility.