The unique clay composition of the soil at the UV site is exhibited in this Pinot Noir’s perfumed aromatics and voluptuous texture.
Mark Aubert’s Tasting Notes
The 2023 UV Pinot Noir is bright, perfumed, and inviting. Opening with a heady wave of rose petal, lavender, and briar, this 2023 UV Pinot Noir is impossible to resist. With a luminous ruby core, warm cherry and blood orange stain the palate in waves. Botanical elements complement the sappy fruits, with oud, sassafras and myrrh unwinding in the glass. Rich and structured yet delicate in its frame, the 2023 UV Pinot Noir has the generosity to reward early drinking and poise for long ageing alike.
We refer to this wine as the “chameleon,” as it evolves and morphs in each glass. The combination of climate, soil, and rare clones planted at UV-SL produce kaleidoscopic, site-driven nuances.
Mark Aubert’s Tasting Notes
The 2024 UV-SL Chardonnay is all about poise and precision. The wine opens with inviting aromas of citrus blossom, nectarine, and opal apple, but it is the saline coastal elements of crushed seashell, wild fennel, and sea spray that really sing and celebrate this site’s proximity to the Pacific Ocean. On the palate the wine is expansive and texturally fine, especially when allowed time to blossom in the glass, gaining breath and volume quickly. Dynamic, evolving wines like this are a sure bet for graceful and rewarding ageing, and the 2024 UV-SL Chardonnay will continue to develop and unfurl for the coming 10 to 15 years of bottle age. The wine is slightly hazy, showing our commitment to minimal intervention winemaking.
Our most masculine Pinot Noir, the UV-SL, is opulent in color, reflecting a tangible fullness across the palate. The vineyard’s proximity to the ocean is deceptive, as the notably warm climate allows the grapes to reach our optimal ripeness.
Mark Aubert’s Tasting Notes
Inky dark and brooding, the 2023 UV-SL Pinot Noir is potent and arresting in its compositional focus. Deep aromas of blackberry and pomegranate fruits interplay with spicier notes of white pepper, bergamot, and sandalwood. On the palate the wine is chiseled in its structure, with a frame of firm tannin and lingering acidity. This structural seriousness is offset by generous dollops of sweet black cherry and blackberry crumble with mocha and blonde tobacco further building in dramatic crescendo across the palate. Dense and primordial, the 2023 UV-SL Pinot Noir will continue to amplify and gain complexity well beyond a decade of cellaring.