Important Update From the Founder
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The Wines of Mark Aubert
Pinot Provence, Costa Mesa, CA
Tasted February 10, 2007 by mattiasjansson with 1,176 views
Introduction
A wonderful Pay-It-Forward event organized by Jay Selman. Same location as the SQN event the previous fall. 40+ participants and we took over the main dining room. All wines (excluding opening champagne and the Yquems) were made by Mark Aubert. I brought a 2004 Aubert Lauren and a 2004 Aubert Ritchie chard.
Flight 1 - Champagne (1 note)
White - Sparkling
1998 Moët & Chandon Champagne Cuvée Dom Pérignon
91 points
Light, crisp and exact. Nice acidity. The '98 is nice but always makes me wish I had the '96, which is great.
Flight 2 - Aubert Chards - 1 (7 notes)
White
2001 Aubert Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard
90 points
Light yellow. Nice acidity. Aromatic nose / bitter. A bit too big for my tast, but nicely balanced.
White
2002 Aubert Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard
93 points
Austere compared to the '01 - opened up very nicely. Great balance (oak, fruit, minerals, acidity) and a nice, long finish.
White
2003 Aubert Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard
94 points
Replacement for the corked bottle. Big with nice tropical fruit balancing the minerals and acidity. Great finish!
White
2002 Aubert Chardonnay Quarry Vineyard
85 points
Cloudy. Austere and acidic. Not much going on. Off? There were 3 bottles of this and other tables raved about it...
White
2003 Aubert Chardonnay Reuling Vineyard
89 points
Cloudy. A bit hot and on the acidic side, but enough fruit to carry through.
Flight 3 - Aubert Chards - 2 (4 notes)
White
2004 Aubert Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard
92 points
Big. Oak, buttery and a touch hot, but very nice, complex finish.
White
2004 Aubert Chardonnay Lauren Estate Vineyard
92 points
Oaky and buttery. Well balance w/ acidity. Normally not my style but has the structure to back up the CA-ness.
White
2004 Aubert Chardonnay Quarry Vineyard
92 points
A lot more minerals and higher acidity than the Ritchie and Lauren.
White
2004 Aubert Chardonnay Reuling Vineyard
91 points
Similar minerals and acidity to the Quarry, but a little funky on the finish.
Flight 4 - Aubert Pinots (2 notes)
Red
2004 Aubert Pinot Noir Reuling Vineyard
90 points
Classic CA pinot. Candied cherry, big red fruit. A bit one-dimensional.
Red
2004 Aubert Pinot Noir UV Vineyard
94 points
Now we're talking! Big fruit and tannins, and the oak is well integrated. Needs time, but is already beginning to strut its stuff.
Flight 5 - Peter Michael and Colgin cabs (6 notes)
Red
1996 Peter Michael Les Pavots
89 points
I expected more from this wine. The fruit has started to recede leaving the mid-palate hollow. A bit over-oaked.
Red
1997 Peter Michael Les Pavots
92 points
This had held up better than the '97. Silky, smooth, but not that much to brag about.
Red
Red
2000 Colgin Cabernet Sauvignon Herb Lamb
95 points
Replacement for corked bottle. Well-integrated oak. Balanced with a nice long finish.
Red
Flight 6 - Yquems (2 notes)
White - Sweet/Dessert
2002 Château d'Yquem
92 points
Light and airy. Nice fruit, but the finish is short. Perfectly balanced, but quite muted overall. Good wine, but nothing like the '01.
White - Sweet/Dessert
2001 Château d'Yquem
99 points
Third time I've had the pleasure of drinking the '01 and it's been consistently stunning. The fruit is incredible, the acidity marvelous, the balance impbeccable and the finish out-of-this-world. Why not 100 points? The nose and the finish are clearly there, but it wavers ever so slightly on the mid-palate.
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Flight 7 - Afterparty in Jeff Nowak's suite (2 notes)
Jeff supplied the Cariad to complete the horizontal and Gary Goldman brought the Herb Lamb.
Red
2000 Colgin Cariad
93 points
Very nice. Most ready-to-drink of the '00 Colgins. A bit thin on the mid-palate, but an impressive effort overall.
Red
2001 Colgin Cabernet Sauvignon Herb Lamb
91 points
Huge and tannic. Needs lots of time, but showing great potential. Big fruit.