2007 Aubert Pinot Noir Reuling Vineyard
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Tasting notes
The exquisite, dark ruby/purple-tinged 2007 Pinot Noir Reuling Vineyard offers up copious aromas of blue, red, and black fruits in addition to terrific acidity, a broad expansive mouthfeel, and roasted meat, black raspberry, wild strawberry, and foresty flora characteristics. It is a big, concentrated Pinot Noir that makes a mockery of all the over-cropped Pinots that are promoted as “authentic expressions of terroir,” when in fact, they are made from over-cropped vineyards and prey on those not familiar with what top-flight Pinot Noirs should taste like. In only a handful of years, Mark Aubert, who received impeccable training at Peter Michael winery, working under Helen Turley, as well as at Colgin and Bryant Family Vineyards, has produced mind-boggling wines under his own label. With the addition of the Hyde Vineyard cuvee, he now produces four Chardonnays as well as two Pinot Noirs. Additional selections should begin to emerge as Aubert is moving away from any consulting business to concentrate on his own winery. His 2008s are candidates for the wines of the vintage, no doubt because of the extraordinarily low yields (his smallest crop to date). This has given the wines an extra level of concentration, which is saying something given the levels of richness achieved in previous vintages. The 2007 Chardonnays confirm the greatness I predicted for them from barrel in 2008. While this was a small crop for Aubert, it was not nearly as tiny as 2008. Aubert prefers to work with the Calera clone of Pinot Noir, although his two vineyards include both the Calera and a suitcase clone from one of Burgundy’s most famous Vosne-Romanee vineyards. Tel. (707) 963-4569; Fax (707) 963-4322
Critic scores
Robert Parker
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
(15.5% alcohol; half from a Vosne-Romanee clone and half from a Calera clone) Deep red with ruby highlights. Nose dominated by purple and blue fruits, along with violet, black tea and a whiff of dark berry pastille; showing little sign of the heavy-toast new oak. Sappy flavors of crushed black fruits are quite closed, even a bit youthfully tough, revealing little easy sweetness today and superb underlying tannic structure. Less complex today than the UV: in fact, I wouldn't be surprised if this shut down in bottle for at least a few years and emerged to merit an even higher rating. From a cooler site, harvested late. Aubert did a 45-day maceration for his pinots in 2007, sealing the tank to retain the CO2 He believes this allowed the tannins to flesh out at the end of this process.
About the producer
The Aubert wines, particularly the Chardonnay, have a cult following – beloved for their rich, hedonistic style. Created by Mark and Theresa Aubert in 1999, the property makes some of California’s most sought-after Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, all from single vineyards across Sonoma.