Rubinette redux

The smaller of my two Rubinettes, shown, has a partial red blush hidden behind a fine mesh of russet. ¶ 

A second sample is largely unblushed, green yellow, with the blush organized into vertical red stripes. ¶ 

These are classically shaped but a bit oblate, with tiny lenticel dots that are filled with dark matter in the unblushed regions.

Sooty blotch and flyspeck, two superficial skin diseases, add to the riot of detail on these samples, from Shelburne Farm in Stow (map).

Eating Rubinette

The light yellow flesh is medium coarse and juicy. It has an easy, yielding crunch.

Rubinette's flavors are sweet and well balanced with caramel and fruity flavors, melon with a little orange. 

The orange flavor is more forward in my second sample. It is downright luscious.

What is harder to describe is how very pleasantly these flavors go together.

Different and similar

The tastes of my second sample seems to bridge the gap between those of my first and my 2013 tasting, which found "rich flavors of oranges and lemons plus a little generic nuttiness that borders on vanilla." 

In appearance, these might be two separate varieties, not just separate apples, harvests, and orchards.

Check out that original review for pedigree information and further notes and reader comments.