Everything about Aubert Wines, Sonoma Coast California Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon wine producer profile, wine tasting notes, wine and food pairing tips, best vintages, history of the property, information on their wine making techniques, terroir and soil. You can also read about the Grapes used for California wine and learn about the extensive History of Napa Valley, California Wines
Aubert Wines History, Overview
Founded by Mark and Theresa Aubert in 2000, the Aubert Winery is located on the Silverado trail in Calistoga. Before building his own winery, Mark Aubert made his wines at Colgin Cellars and the Custom Crush facility.
While much of his fruit is sourced, Aubert owns 3.2 acres of vineyard land in Sonoma. This land is the source of their UV wines. UV takes its name from a vineyard manager, Ulizes Valdez. Ulizes Valdez and Mark Aubert have been a team since day one as Ulizes Valdez manages all the vineyards for Mark Aubert. Aubert wine is clearly one of the best producer of the finest examples of Chardonnay in the new world. They also make Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Prior to starting Aubert wine in 1999, Mark Aubert worked at some of the best wineries in California. He replaced Helen Turley of Marcassin at the Peter Michael Winery in Sonoma and he later replaced Helen Turley for the second time when he became the wine maker for Colgin Cellars in Napa. Mark Aubert has also worked as consultant for some of the top California wineries including Sloan, Futo and Bryant Family.
Aubert Vineyards, Terroir, Wines, Winemaking
Since 2000, Aubert wine has produced some of the best Chardonnay wines ever made in the golden state. Over the years, no less than 7 extraordinary Chardonnay wines have been released including Hyde, Lauren, PMW, Quarry, Reuling, UVSL, Ritchie and CIX, which takes its name from the name of the parcel where the vines are planted, Parcel 109.
2000 saw the debut release of Ritchie Chardonnay, which was followed Quarry Chardonnay. Aubert stopped production of Quarry after the 2005 vintage. In 2002, Aubert began to produce Pinot Noir. Aubert Ritchie Chardonnay remains of of the top Chardonnay wines in California, of course the grape source deserves credit.
The vineyard has very old vines, some of which date back to 1971! Mark Aubert purchased the vines for Lauren Chardonnay, which was named after their daughter. The vines were young, having only been planted in 1998.
After Chardonnay, Pinot Noir is the second most popular wine produced by Aubert. Its intense, high alcohol, full bodied, full throttle style pleases some tasters more than others. 2003 Reuling Pinot Noir was the first Pinot from Aubert. That was quickly followed by UV, Ritchie and UVSL. Aubert PMW was only produced in one vintage, because they lost the grape source .
In 2005, Aubert began producing Cabernet Sauvignon from the David Abreu, Lucia vineyard. The Cabernet Sauvignon has not met with the same level of critical or fan success as their Aubert Pinot Noir or Aubert Chardonnay.
On average, Aubert produces close to 10,000 cases of wine per year. As you would expect, the majority of their wine is Chardonnay and most of that is sold direct to customers, via a private mailing list.
Serving and Decanting Aubert with Wine, Food, Pairing Tips
Aubert wines are best served at 15.5 degrees Celsius, 60 degrees Fahrenheit. The cool, almost cellar temperature gives the wine more freshness and lift. Young vintages of their red wine can be decanted for 1-3 hours, depending on the character of the vintage. This allows the wine to soften and open its perfume. Older vintages might need very little decanting, just enough to remove the sediment.
The red wine of Aubert is best served with all types of classic meat dishes, veal, pork, beef, lamb, duck, game, roast chicken, ribs, hamburgers, barbecue, roasted, braised, grilled dishes and stews. Aubert is also good with Asian dishes, hearty fish courses like tuna, salmon, mushrooms and pasta.
The white wine of Aubert is best served with all types of seafood and shellfish, sushi, sashimi, chicken, veal, pork and cheese.
Aubert Wine Tasting Notes
21 Vintages 105,482 Views Sort by Vintage-Rating
2016
Aubert Chardonnay CIX Estate Vineyard (Sonoma Coast)
This compelling Chardonnay is big, rich, luscious, full-bodied and intense. It's young, so, yes it's also still oaky. But once past all that vanilla and smoke, you find layers of ripe, juicy, sweet, lemon peels, flowers, assorted citrus and apples galore with a mouth-filling finish that sticks with you. 5,701 Views Tasted Feb 15, 2020 |
2015
Aubert Chardonnay Lauren Vineyard (Sonoma Coast)
Rich, round, lush and loaded with vanilla, tropical fruit, pears, citrus, flowers and orange peel, this forward, juicy, luscious wine is ready to go. 4,659 Views Tasted Dec 14, 2019 |
2014
Aubert Chardonnay UV-SL Vineyard (Sonoma Coast)
With more finesse and freshness than power, the wine is bright, crisp, fresh and focused on its sweet, ripe, energetic lemon, pear, floral and stone personality. 3,571 Views Tasted Oct 31, 2016 |
2013
Aubert Chardonnay CIX Estate Vineyard (Sonoma Coast)
Wow! There is such a beautiful purity to all the layers of crisp apple, sweet pear, citrus peel and tangerine. There is a sweetness that adds a tropical accent, which comes from the levels of ripeness in the fruit. The acidity is right there too, which keeps this fresh and invigorating. 5,825 Views Tasted Feb 24, 2017 |
2012
Aubert Chardonnay Eastside Vineyard (Russian River Valley)
This was spectacular! Fresh, balanced, harmonious and packed with the perfect amount of ripe, sweet, citrus, pears, apples and stone. Rich, but not too rich, the oak was in check and fruit had this great sense of purity that you seldom find. I wish I had more than 1 bottle remaining. 4,406 Views Tasted Jan 17, 2017 |
2012
Aubert Chardonnay Lauren Vineyard (Sonoma Coast)
This is gorgeous today. Lusciously textured, with pears, green apple, citrus and just a hint of vanilla, the wine is long, rich, vibrant and intense. 2,749 Views Tasted Mar 1, 2022Rich, lush, juicy, ripe, citrus, apple and pear. Concentrated, but balanced, no sensation of heat, just a great purity of fruit in an upfront, opulent style. 3,530 Views Tasted Jun 1, 2017Fat, rich, sweet, lush, round and packed with juicy, citrus fruits, pears, apples and a tropical note. Vanilla tones are present in the nose and on the palate, but there is more than enough ample layers of fruit to overcome the oak. This is big, concentrated, opulent, complex expression of California Chardonnay. 4,589 Views Tasted Aug 16, 2015 |
2012
Aubert Chardonnay Larry Hyde & Sons (Carneros)
Fat, ripe, lush, juicy, sweet citrus fruits with a lot concentration of flavor and raw material. Dense, but still light on its feet, due to all the fresh acidity. At this stage of development, there is also a strong oak note to contend with, so if that is an issue, give it 3-5 years, which will help integrate the oak, and bring out more fresh, mineralistic character. 3,948 Views Tasted Sep 19, 2016 |
2011
Aubert Chardonnay Eastside Vineyard (Russian River Valley)
Buttered popcorn, pears, citrus, apple and vanilla bean on the nose. Rich, fat and juicy sweet fruits with a liberal blast of vanilla in the finish. 3,216 Views Tasted May 14, 2015 |
2010
Aubert Chardonnay Lauren Vineyard (Sonoma Coast)
Still oaky, with its vanilla bean profile, the past 12 months have added more notes of orange, lemon peel, lime and green apple components to the nose. Soft, silky and forward, this is drinking quite nice today. 3,702 Views Tasted Feb 12, 2015Thick, rich, fat, intense and filled with luscious, vanilla tinged, fresh, sweet lemon, lime, apple and floral notes. Perfect with the lobster. 4,026 Views Tasted Mar 16, 2014 |
2010
Aubert Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard (Sonoma Coast)
While this is lacking the level of richness and density found in the top vintages of Aubert Chardonnay, the wine presents a cloudy appearance, from the lack of fining and filtering. In the nose, ample scents of vanilla, lemon, flowers and tropical fruits are easy to find. The already open, elegant wine ends with fresh citrus flavors. 4,041 Views Tasted Aug 30, 2012 |
2009
Aubert Chardonnay Lauren Vineyard (Sonoma Coast)
Fresh and focused on ripe its citrus, orange and vanilla, the wine does not seem as forward as other bottles or recent vintages of Aubert Chardonnay. This is a good choice for tasters that find previous years too ripe or excessive. 4,047 Views Tasted Aug 20, 2013 |
2009
Aubert Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard (Sonoma Coast)
Vanilla, lemon, citrus, tropical fruits and spicy aromas opened up the wine. Rich, full bodied, concentrated and packed with sweet, ripe fruit, the wine ends with a fresh, citrus, and spicy vanilla filled finish. I liked the wine, but it's not for tasters that are averse to oak. 5,174 Views Tasted Mar 7, 2012 |
2008
Aubert Chardonnay Reuling Vineyard (Sonoma Coast)
Rich, powerful, intense and packed with vanilla, ripe citrus, apples, buttered popcorn and pears, the wine is fresh, lush and long, with loads of ripe, juicy, sweet citrus fruits. 2,832 Views Tasted Feb 18, 2015Still young, there is a lot of intensity in the nose and on the palate, with its fat, juicy, ripe citrus, apple, vanilla, pear and buttery personality. Fresh and refreshing, this is drinking great today. 3,021 Views Tasted Aug 18, 2014 |
2008
Aubert Chardonnay Lauren Vineyard (Sonoma Coast)
Viscous in texture, with a potent perfume packed with vanilla, fresh lemon, flowers, spice and orange scents. This thick, concentrated, rich, opulent, intense Chardonnay fills your mouth and pleases your palate with layers of sweet, ripe citrus and vanilla. 4,133 Views Tasted Jan 16, 2012 |
2007
Aubert Chardonnay Lauren Vineyard (Sonoma Coast)
Lush, rich and round, with a nose of honeysuckle, vanilla, citrus and butterscotch, the wine provided a fat blast of sweet, oak and citrus. My feeling is, the wine has reached matured far too quickly as it tasted and looked older than its true age. 3,110 Views Tasted Jul 25, 2015Big, fat, rich, ripe, dense and still quite oaky. The fruit was sweet, ripe and in full force, but at this stage of the game, I was hoping the oak would have been a little more restrained. There was a touch of heat, not overbearing, but it was sensed in the 15.8 % finish. 3,474 Views Tasted Feb 3, 2015Vanilla, fennel, citrus and pear notes are in tune with the rich, plush and polished textures. The long finish is fat, sweet and pure. 3,680 Views Tasted Jul 19, 2014An outrageous perfume stuffed with vanilla, smoke, flowers, citrus oil, orange rind, lemon and honeysuckle prepare your palate for a full bodied, concentrated wave of fresh, ripe, sweet, citrus fruit. I love how this large styled California Chardonnay is showing today. 3,572 Views Tasted Feb 21, 2012 |
2007
Aubert Chardonnay Reuling Vineyard (Sonoma Coast)
2007 Aubert Reuling opens with a powerful display of floral, apple, vanilla, citrus, honey and pear scents. Rich, full bodied, rich and packed with sweet, ripe, fruits, the wine ends with a long, tropical, citrus and vanilla tinged finish. 2,967 Views Tasted Jul 17, 2012 |
2006
Aubert Chardonnay Lauren Vineyard (Sonoma Coast)
A pungent perfume filled with vanilla bean, lemon, lime, grapefruit and butterscotch was easy to find. Full bodied and palate filling, this concentrated wine ended with fresh, ripe citrus and vanilla flavors. 5,996 Views Tasted Feb 2, 2011 |
2005
Aubert Chardonnay Lauren Vineyard (Sonoma Coast)
An interesting nutty component helps define the wine that is also loaded with sweet, ripe, juicy pears, apples, citrus and vanilla. There is an elegance to the wine that shines through its rich, round personality. 3,351 Views Tasted May 25, 2018 |
2004
Aubert Chardonnay Lauren Vineyard (Sonoma Coast)
Yellow gold in color, with sweet citrus aromas and a hint of vanilla on the nose. Full bodied and concentrated with layers of rich, ripe elegant fruit. The finish was long and clean. Due to its very ripe concentrated fruit, there was no sign of heat from this 15.3% ABV wine. 2,258 Views Tasted Jun 6, 2007 |
2004
Aubert Chardonnay Reuling Vineyard (Sonoma Coast)
Tropical fruit, citrus and vanilla scents, full bodied, richly textured with a good dose of acidity to balance the wine make for a great drinking experience. Open and ready to go 1,832 Views Tasted Apr 15, 2008 |
2003
Aubert Chardonnay Reuling Vineyard (Sonoma Coast)
Blends ripeness with a full throttle quality. Dense layers of sweet, ripe tropical and citrus fruit, very concentrated. 2,072 Views Tasted Feb 10, 2006 |