Vinous – December 2024 – Napa Valley’s 2022 & 2023s

Aubert fans have a lot to look forward to in these upcoming releases. The 2023 Chardonnays capture all the energy and vibrancy of this cool, late-ripening year. The Pinots, bottled this summer, are all impressive. They were done with fully destemmed fruit and saw as much as 30 days on the skins. As I have remarked in recent reports, the Pinots capture more verve these days than they did in the past, while still offering plenty of the richness Aubert is known for.

2023 Chardonnay CIX Estate Vineyard Sonoma Coast
Score: 96 – 98 Points

The 2023 Chardonnay CIX Estate is one of the most complete wines in this range. Aromatically intense, textured and silky, the 2023 CIX brings together all the elements that make these Chardonnays so appealing. Lemon oil, hazelnut, dried flowers and lightly honeyed notes all grace this resonant, expansive Chardonnay. The CIX is often one of my favorite Aubert Chardonnays, as it is once again in 2023.

2023 Chardonnay Eastside Vineyard Russian River
Score: 93 – 95 Points

The 2023 Chardonnay Eastside is potent and tightly wound. It possesses notable textural depth and structure. I am looking forward to tasting this again, as it is pretty closed, especially in the aromatics. Even so, this is a lot of wine. Hints of graphite and dried orchard fruit open with some reluctance.

2023 Chardonnay Hudson Vineyard Carneros
Score: 94 – 96 Points

The 2023 Chardonnay Hudson Vineyard is redolent of crushed rocks, slate, mint, white pepper and oyster shell. In this vintage, the Hudson is a bit reticent, but I see that as a positive for its long-term evolution. This is the first Aubert Hudson Chardonnay since 2019 because of replanting. The 2023 is classic Hudson all the way.

2023 Chardonnay Larry Hyde & Sons Vineyard Carneros
Score: 94 – 96 Points

The 2023 Chardonnay Hyde Vineyard is super-refined and polished. This was the last pick in 2023. Apricot, dried pear, chamomile, mint, tangerine peel and lightly honeyed notes all grace this exquisite, nuanced Chardonnay.

2023 Chardonnay Lauren Estate Vineyard Sonoma Coast
Score: 97 – 100 Points

The 2023 Chardonnay Lauren is the quintessential Mark Aubert wine. Rich, layered and wonderfully dynamic in the glass, the 2023 is another super-complete wine. The Lauren is marked by strong mineral, earthy and savory notes that require bottle age to be at their most expressive.

2023 Chardonnay Park Avenue Estate Vineyard Sonoma Coast
Score: 95 – 97 Points

The 2023 Chardonnay Park Avenue looks like it will offer fine drinking out of the gate. Bold and effusive, the 2023 is a Chardonnay of total seduction. Ripe pear, white flowers, marzipan and lightly honeyed notes build in the glass. This extravagant Park Avenue is a dense, hedonistic showstopper.

2022 Chardonnay Powder House Estate Vineyard Sonoma Coast
Score: 95 – 97 Points

The 2023 Chardonnay Powder House is another of the more floral, weightless wines in this range. Chalk, mint, white pepper, crushed rocks, sage and mint lead into a core of white orchard fruit, lemon oil and marzipan. I especially admire its energy and overall vibrancy here. Saline notes confer freshness on the close.

2023 Chardonnay Sugar Shack Estate Vineyard Napa Valley
Score: 94 – 96 Points

The 2023 Chardonnay Sugar Shack is a wine of textural density and opulence. Tangerine oil, chamomile, pastry and lightly buttered notes all meld together. In this tasting, the Sugar Shack is marked by its viscosity, a signature of this warm microclimate vis-à-vis the other Chardonnays in the range. A feeling of phenolic intensity and acid lingers on the close.

2023 Chardonnay UV-SL Vineyard Sonoma Coast
Score: 95 – 97 Points

The 2023 Chardonnay UV-SL Vineyard is delicate and sensual in the glass. White flowers, tangerine oil, mint, lemon confit and light tropical accents take shape. Rich yet light on its feet, the 2023 UV-SL is sublime. Lifted floral overtones grace the sensual finish. This is all refinement.

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2023 Pinot Noir CIX Estate Vineyard Sonoma Coast
Score: 97 Points

The 2023 Pinot Noir CIX Vineyard is another stellar wine from Mark Aubert. It is the most savory of the Pinots and yet still possesses tons of depth and overall structure. These are some of the later blocks to come in. Dried herbs, mint, blood orange, chalk, raspberry and crushed flowers lend notable exotic flair throughout.

2023 Pinot Noir Park Avenue Estate Vineyard Sonoma Coast
Score: 95 Points

The 2023 Pinot Noir Park Avenue Estate is a new wine in this range. It emerges from a parcel in Sebastopol planted with cuttings from UV. Black cherry, leather, incense and graphite open first, followed by lifted floral and savory notes that add character. The Park Avenue doesn’t have the layers of the other Pinots, but it comes very close. This is a seriously impressive debut.

2023 Pinot Noir UV Vineyard Sonoma Coast
Score: 96 Points

The 2023 Pinot Noir UV Vineyard is dense, heady and explosive. The purity of the fruit is just superb. Bright red/purplish fruit, rose petal, lavender, spice and blood orange all soar from the glass. A wine of depth and textural intensity, the 2023 is just magnificent. So aromatic. Bright acids pull it all together on the finish. The UV is the most delicate and refined of the Pinots from Aubert this year.

2023 Pinot Noir UV-SL Vineyard Sonoma Coast
Score: 96 Points

The 2023 Pinot Noir UV-SL Vineyard is a rich, full-bodied wine. Inky dark fruit, mocha, new leather, soy, spice and grilled herbs are beautifully amplified. A wine of resonance and textural power, the 2023 is superb. Readers will find a Pinot of tremendous color, flavor and aromatic expressiveness. This site at elevation yields notable intensity. It is the darkest and most flamboyant of the Aubert Pinots.