2014 Pinot Noir UV-SL Vineyard

This is a fabulous set of wines from Mark Aubert. The Chardonnays in particular are exceptional. In my view, Aubert's wines, especially the Chardonnays, have become more refined over last few years, something Mark Aubert attributes to moving into his new winery. As of the 2011 vintage, the team has total control over all aspects of production. Previously, the wines were made in a custom crush facility, which almost always involves compromises and imposes constraints. As was the case throughout the region, Aubert saw low yields in 2014, the third year of the drought cycle, which is one of the reasons the wines are so intense. The Chardonnays were aged in 100% new oak, all of which they have handled effortlessly. All of the Pinots were done with around 10-15% whole clusters, but, here, too, it is the purity of the fruit that comes through above all else. The Chardonnays were bottled in late August/early September, while the Pinots were bottled in July. Stylistically, there also appears to be a widening gap between the Chardonnays and the Pinots, which are excellent, but made in a much more overt, powerful style, with long periods of skin contact and less overall subtlety. Still, those are pretty small critiques at this lofty level.