4/16/2024 - Winedad53 wrote:

Classic Napa Cabernet with finely integrated tannins, hints of chocolate dust and a lingering finish.

3/30/2024 - Winedad53 wrote:

Exceptional right now so why wait? Well structured with soft tannins, notes of red berry, leather and sweet tobacco all finely integrated.

2/25/2024 - Winedad53 wrote:

A bit of front-end pickle barrel needed time to blow off to reveal a deep core of black fruit, pine and cocoa.

2/25/2024 - Winedad53 wrote:

This was outstanding ding after 45-minute decant. Layer upon layer of black raspberry, heather, damson plum lead to a sweet and seamless finish. Plush and drinking perfectly. Drink now-2025.

12/16/2023 - Winedad53 wrote:

Usually love this wine, but this well-cellared and decanted magnum was tired, a bit grainy and pruny. This one was surprisingly past its prime.

12/16/2023 - Winedad53 wrote:

Wine of the night. Plush black velvet carpet of ripe blackberry, violet and rose petals, and touch of steely carbon on the finish.

11/26/2023 - Winedad53 wrote:

Opened up nicely to expose nuances of ripe red-black fruit with an alluring bit of smokiness.

11/26/2023 - Winedad53 wrote:

Harsh, hard-edged and green after a four-hour decant. Charred pepper and pine. Not my thang.

11/1/2023 - Winedad53 wrote:

Apples and peaches and pears oh my!

10/23/2023 - Winedad53 wrote:

Intense, almost overpowering core of blueberry compote, with notes of smoky cedar, pine needles and spearmint. Too young for me; wait at least 3-5 years for next one.

9/22/2023 - Winedad53 wrote:

Lean and steely, with hints of almond , white toast and apricot seed.

8/17/2023 - Winedad53 wrote:

Expected more than the one dimension this wine wanted to offer. Muted after over an hour of air, and personality never emerged.

8/17/2023 - Winedad53 wrote:

Tight, dense and a bit tarry, with tannins overshadowing whatever fruit core may underlie.

8/17/2023 - Winedad53 wrote:

Bright yellow, bursting with honeysuckle, brioche, and meringue. Consistent with 2022 tasting.

8/14/2023 - Winedad53 wrote:

Murky and past drink window. NR.

7/23/2023 - Winedad53 wrote:

Of 18 different wines brought on week-long vacation this stood out. Such great fruit, complexity, so well integrated, bursting with blackberries, slate, pomegranate and lean vanilla oak. Drink now- 2032.

7/23/2023 - Winedad53 wrote:

Another great bottle. Dried cherry, leather, whiff of anise and cinnamon. Drink now - 2027.

7/23/2023 - Winedad53 wrote:

Drinking beautifully. Well balanced core of black fruit, leather, touch of iron and sweet finish. 10-15 more years ahead of it.

7/3/2023 - Winedad53 wrote:

HdV never disappoints. A ripe and opulent Chardonnay of honeyed pear, brioche, lemon meringue and roasted almonds. Exquisite. Drink now - 2027.

7/3/2023 - Winedad53 wrote:

Mellow and well developed, with soft tannins and long finish. Notes of black plum, roasted meat and touch of vanilla. Popped and poured with pizza.

6/3/2023 - Winedad53 wrote:

Hard to believe how much better this wine keeps getting, as it sheds its early earthy funk (some people like that), leather and tannin and evolves toward a sweet, ripe expression that dances effortlessly across the tongue with notes of ripe cherry and glycerine. In a great drink window now through at least 2026.

6/3/2023 - Winedad53 wrote:

No hurry to drink these. Continuing to evolve on same glide path as my Nov2021 review.

6/3/2023 - Winedad53 wrote:

Time to drink and enjoy the rich crushed raspberry and violets.

6/3/2023 - Winedad53 wrote:

Popped and poured to drink outside on humid evening, so not a fair opportunity for the wine to show. NR.

4/30/2023 - Winedad53 wrote:

Pale yellow, with stony lemon zest and minerals and a long puckering finish.

4/30/2023 - Winedad53 wrote:

Stunning once again. Bright yellow gold with traces of nectarine, lemon zest and a weightlessness that I find to be an Aubert trademark. Drink now-2027.

4/30/2023 - Winedad53 wrote:

In a great spot now. Ripe cherry steps forward with vanilla overtones and touch of spearmint. Drink now and over next 3-6 years.

4/30/2023 - Winedad53 wrote:

From 3L, silky and well integrated with distinctive Bordeaux-style terroir and riveting Napa purple fruit, ripeness and intensity. Truly a stunning wine from large-bottle format.

4/30/2023 - Winedad53 wrote:

Deep black purple. Brooding with heavy overtones of smoke, steaming coffee, iron, graphite and charcoal that obscure the fruit and elegance typically associated with Palmer. Probably could have used more than the 2 hours of air I have it, as well as a larger glass.

4/8/2023 - Winedad53 wrote:

Going strong at 16 years, this bottle showed a depth of succulent black plum, black current and a hint of spearmint on the finish. Delicious, with a good 3-5 years or more of life.

4/8/2023 - Winedad53 wrote:

Still inky black at 15 years, brimming with blackberry jam, licorice, smoke and chewy tannins. A monster that needs food alongside.

4/8/2023 - Winedad53 wrote:

From magnum. Fruit forward, medium-heavy weight in the mouth. Nuances of smoke, ripe pear, honey and white tea. Years ahead of this one.

4/8/2023 - Winedad53 wrote:

Brilliant yellow-gold after 90-minute decant. A voluptuous mix of ripe apple, lemon, fresh-cut hay and sunflowers with a crisp apple-skin finish. Drink over next 4 years.

4/8/2023 - Winedad53 wrote:

From magnum, this wine came together after an hour or so in a decanter, offering stewed red berry, cola and pine. Drink now, as may fall off fairly quickly from here.

3/12/2023 - Winedad53 wrote:

Dark red damson plum, long finish fading to raspberry, but not as elegant or refined as other bottles.

3/12/2023 - Winedad53 wrote:

Not a fan of this vintage. No profile or character, a dark, plummy, brooding and overpowering wine with no profile or nuance even after 4 hours of decant and aeration. Cos remains one of my favorite Bordeaux chateaus, but this was a big miss.

3/6/2023 - Winedad53 wrote:

From magnum, this wine is simply flawless. Tannins well integrated into profile of deep red plum, slate, cedar and cocoa. Would rate higher but can improve over next 3-5 years or longer. Drink it whenever you can.

3/6/2023 - Winedad53 wrote:

Brief decant from magnum then slow ox for hour and a half, this wine could not have been better. Medium weight. Barrage of citrus essences on the nose. Ripe pineapple, honey, pale vanilla oak and glycerin. Big favorite at charity gala.

3/6/2023 - Winedad53 wrote:

Lithe and lively on the tongue, with ripe lemon, hazelnut, marzipan meringue. Hyde remains one of my favorite Auberts.

2/5/2023 - Winedad53 wrote:

All in with sirpat00 review below. Way too big and dense for red burgundy 20 years out, made me long for a leaner and more restrained Oregon Pinot.

2/5/2023 - Winedad53 wrote:

Not quite at the sublime level of my 2017 review, but still deeply content rated with intense black fruit, licorice and menthol. At or near peak, drink now-2025.

1/24/2023 - Winedad53 wrote:

Exquisite as usual. Bright garnet, rush of ripe strawberry, tree bark and rooibos tea. Drinking well, easily another 4-5 years left.

1/23/2023 - Winedad53 wrote:

Long decant and slow ox 3+ hours and worth the wait. Loamy earth, mushroom, leather and red rock came together nicely. Drink now-2025.

1/8/2023 - Winedad53 wrote:

Lacked the depth or grace of other bottles. More like a quaffable Grenache blend.

1/8/2023 - Winedad53 wrote:

Same as review of 1/22/22. More weight and less nuance than the typical Aubert, more in the fruity California style.

1/5/2023 - Winedad53 wrote:

Consistent with 2022 review. Ripe, lithe and packed with mineral, flint, honeysuckle and a touch of lime peel on the finish. Drank outdoors over course of two-hour lunch, and wine revealed additional layers and nuances as it warmed a bit in the glass. Drink now-2028.

1/5/2023 - Winedad53 wrote:

Just so well integrated, offering array of red plum, cedar, vanilla and balsa wood tones in perfect harmony. A wine of great character and above all, balance.

12/25/2022 - Winedad53 wrote:

Bright crimson. Soft and rounded, bouncing from red cherry to glycerine to a touch of spearmint and vanilla. Light on its feet for a Brunello, and drink if wonderfully at 12 with plenty of life left.

12/23/2022 - Winedad53 wrote:

Brilliant strawberry color, enticing aromas of raspberry, vanilla and slate. At the outset of a perfect window that should last 2-4 more years.

12/4/2022 - Winedad53 wrote:

Always thought of the Aubert appellation wines as entry level to the more celebrated single vineyards we always love, but this one blew us away with lemon zest, pineapple and lingering smoky finish. Great QPR for an Aubert too.