Medium gold color; apple, mint, vanilla on the nose; peach, melon; golden delicious apple; lemon zest on the palate.
Off-dry; rich, fruit flavors; adequate acidity. Fresh, crisp. Soft in the mouth, light body. No tannins or oak. Simple, straight-forward effort; no special notes, also no flaws. Easy drinking, every day wine. Named for Ron Rubin’s wife, Pam; 12.5% ABV.
Ron Rubin Brands dreamed of a career in wine while at UC Davis in 1971, but spent 22 years working with his family’s business, Central Wholesale Liquor in Mount Vernon, IL. In 1994, his career took a sharp turn when he purchased The Republic of Tea, a California-based tea business, which set him on “ a mission to seek and procure the most exquisite teas from world premier tea gardens, making them accessible to everyone.”
Changes were not over. Website notes: “40 years after Ron’s entry into the beverage industry, his dream came true. He purchased River Road Family Vineyards and Winery, in the Green Valley of the Russian River Valley, in the heart of California’s Sonoma County. Finding himself in the prestigious Green Valley made this ‘dream come true’ even more meaningful.”
Rubin is involved in philanthropy. He is president of the board of directors for Sonoma State University’s Wine Business Institute, advising on the University’s curriculum. In 2015, Rubin became a major donor in support of the Wine Spectator Learning Center’s state-of-the-art education complex, and home of the Wine Business Institute.
Joe Freeman in the winemaker. He has worked in Sonoma’s Russian River Valley since 1997 in a variety of positions at several wineries before joining River Road Family Vineyards in 2004.
Ron Rubin Pam’s Unoaked Chardonnay 2018 is a simple easy drinker. Good fruit with hints of sweetness. Uncomplicated, just tasty chardonnay fruit at good QPR (quality-price ratio). Pair with lightly seasoned poultry; pork; meaty fish—cod, halibut; lobster; shrimp; crab; scallops. $10-15
