2003 Aubert Pinot Noir Reuling Vineyard
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Tasting notes
The 2003 Pinot Noir Reuling Vineyard confirms what I tasted from barrel last year. This is obviously a suitcase clone from a renowned Vosne-Romanee vineyard (we all know which one), and the results are remarkably similar. A floral, black cherry, raspberry, plum, and forest floor-scented bouquet is accompanied by extraordinary, savory, broad, rich notes of blueberries, strawberries, and wild flowers. Rich, broad, and beautifully pure, but neither heavy nor over the top, it is a tour de force in Pinot Noir. It should drink well for a decade. Tel. (707) 942-5611; Fax (707) 942-1573
Critic scores
Average Score
Robert Parker
Stephen Tanzer, Vinous
More reviews and scores
(from four-year-old vines cropped at one ton an acre; aged in 100% new Francois Freres barrels) Bright, deep red-ruby. Sappy, sexy aromas of black cherry, raspberry, black tea, flowers and mint. Dense and rich but with terrific lift and perfume in the middle palate. From a Vosne-Romanee clone, and it shows it in its wild strawberry and black raspberry flavors. A wonderfully viscous pinot noir that somehow manages to avoid coming off as heavy, despite carrying 16% alcohol. This clone survived the heat of 2003 more successfully than the more recent Dijon clones, Aubert claims. Finishes with oak tannins that turned a bit charry as the wine opened in the glass. My score would have been even higher for a bit less oak.
Bright ruby-purple. Pungent aromas of cassis, black raspberry, black cherry, minerals and violet; reportedly from a Vosne-Romanee clone, and distinctly Vosne-like on the nose. Superripe but sappy and vibrant, with highly complex, sharply delineated flavors of raspberry, black cherry, minerals and flowers. Like a Burgundy grand cru in its combination of breadth, inner-mouth energy and delicacy. Spreads out to saturate the entire palate on the extremely long finish. A great Sonoma Coast pinot in the making. Aubert included about 10% whole clusters and gave the fruit a five-day cold soak prior to the onset of fermentation.
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.