2002 Niebaum Coppola Rubicon Proprietary Red Niebaum-Coppola’s rustic styled 2002 Rubicon exhibits notes of damp earth, loamy soil, mushrooms, herbs, pepper and red and black currants. Tasting like a hypothetical blend of a traditional Italian Barolo and a Napa Bordeaux blend, this full-bodied effort possesses power, glycerin and depth, but its tannins remain jagged and unintegrated. The overall impression is of a big, backstrapping red that needs less structure and more charm. It still has plenty of time to sort itself out as it is unlikely to fall apart for at least another decade. RP