"Extremely promising, the closed 2006 Pinot Noir UV Vineyard boasts earthy, raspberry, red and black currant notes intermixed with subtle background oak, smoke, and charcoal. The tannins seem to creep up in the finish, something I did not notice last year. The most structured of these Pinots, it requires another 1-2 years of bottle age, and should last for 4-5 years." -RP92+
Planted in 2001 by our esteemed vineyard manager Ulises Valdez, the soil on this site is a unique mix of sand and dense clay. We refer to this stretch of soil as the “Sebastopol Clays.” This Pinot Noir benefits from the moisture trapped in the clay by allowing the grapes to achieve ripeness without excessive water stress of the warm summer months. The unique clay composition of the soils at the UV site is exhibited in this Pinot Noir’s perfumed aromatics and voluptuous texture.
Aubert is a small Chardonnay and Pinot Noir estate that makes wine from single-vineyard sites in Napa Valley and Sonoma. It was founded by Mark and Teresa Aubert in 1999, and is considered to be one of California's cult producers, and is only available through mailing list or from certain restaurants, due to its consistently high scores from critics.
Mark Aubert graduated the University of California Fresno in 1985, and was appointed as the assistant winemaker at Monticello. After meeting the famous winemaker Helen Turley at a tasting group, he became her assistant winemaker at Peter Michael, taking over the reins when she left to start Colgin Cellars. He eventually became the winemaker there as well. At Peter Michael, Aubert became known for his Chardonnay, and decided that he wanted to create his own label focusing on the variety.
The first vintage of Aubert was in 2000 – a Chardonnay sourced from the Ritchie Vineyard in Russian River Valley. It quickly received acclaim for its full-blown, hedonistic style. By 2014, Aubert's portfolio increased to an array of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines, sourced from eight different vineyard sites in Russian River. The wines were made at Laird Family Vineyards, a custom crush facility in the Oak Knoll District of Napa Valley, until a winery in 2011 was completed in Calistoga.
