Aubert Ritchie Vineyard Pinot Noir 2014
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Robert
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
I tasted the four cuvées of Pinot Noir in 2014. These wines are aged in about 70% new oak, often see some whole clusters, but rarely more than 15-20%, and are given a cold pre-fermentation maceration of 5-7 days. The clonal material varies according to the source. The 2014 Pinot Noir Ritchie Vineyard, which has 15-20% whole clusters and comes from the Calera clone of Pinot Noir, reveals loads of Asian spice, sassafras, pomegranate, black and red currants, some underbrush and forest floor. It is deep, dense, rich and just gorgeous. Drink it over the next 10-15 years.
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Mark Aubert’s Sonoma Coast vineyard-designate Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs have risen in popularity at a dizzying speed. Aubert’s career in winemaking began in 1989 at Peter Michael under the tutelage of Helen Turley, which led to his time at Colgin, Sloan, Futo and then Bryant Family, before founding Aubert Wines with his wife Teresa in 1999. His wines express the essence of singular terroirs with an effortless grace. Mark crafts the wines of Aubert to speak to a variety of wine lovers with one thing in common – selective palates that expect nothing but the best.
The Sonoma Coast AVA is large in area but, not counting overlapping regions like Russian River Valley, only has a few thousand acres of grapevines—and it’s no wonder. Much of the region is rugged and not easily accessible. Its proximity to the Pacific Ocean’s fog and cool breezes limits the varieties that can be cultivated, but it proves to be an ideal environment for high quality Pinot Noir.
Since fog is a frequent fact of life here, as are heavy marine layers that sometimes bring rain, the best vineyards are wisely planted above the fog line, on picturesque ridges that capture enough sun to provide even ripening. That, with the overnight drop in temperature that reliably preserves acidity, results in fine expressions of Pinot Noir that often receive tremendous critic and consumer praise alike, and are often in high demand.