2019 Pinot Noir UV-SL Vineyard

Mark Aubert's 2019s are fabulous. The wines clearly benefit from a stable growing season that saw less heat than 2018, especially towards the end of the season. The Chardonnays are now so consistent that choosing among them really comes down to a matter of personal preference. The biggest change here is that the Pinots have moved away from the inky, bombastic style of the past towards an approach that emphasizes greater freshness and energy. There is still plenty of depth to the wines, but the 2019s have a level of detail I have not seen here before. I tasted the Chardonnays from tank just prior to bottling and the Pinots in bottle. Readers will note the introduction of a new wine, the Park Avenue Chardonnay, which emerges from a 12-acre parcel adjacent to Lauren that was planted six years ago.