Vinous – May 2024

This recent tasting with Mark Aubert and his team was one of the most remarkable I have had in over a decade of visits. I was deeply impressed not just with the quality of the wines but also with the consistency of what I tasted across multiple vineyards and three vintages. I was not able to stop by Aubert last fall, as the timing of my Napa Valley trip coincided with a very late harvest, so this was my first time tasting the 2022s and the 2021s from bottle. I also took the opportunity to taste the bottled Chardonnays from 2019s, wines I missed because of the pandemic. As readers will see from these notes, the wines are absolutely brilliant.

Mark Aubert got the most out of 2022, a vintage that created numerous challenges for producers, although less so in Sonoma than in Napa. Harvest started in mid-August, 7-10 days earlier than 2021. Most of the fruit was in by the end of the month, although a few sites lingered into mid-September. Ferments were on the longer side, as much as 30 days in some cases. The Pinots were done with fully destemmed fruit. I imagine the 2022s will drink well with minimal cellaring.

The finished 2021 Chardonnays are every bit as special as they were when I tasted them from tank prior to bottling. Wines of energy and site expression, the 2021s clearly have the potential to age. I found the 2019 Chardonnays in great shape. Many Vinous readers have inquired about the 2019s in recent months. I see it as a superb vintage to start delving into. The wines offer notable complexity that has developed since bottling yet remain youthful and full of life. As attractive as the Aubert wines are young, my personal preference is to drink them with a few years of bottle age.

2022 Chardonnay CIX Estate Vineyard Sonoma Coast
Score: 97 Points

The 2022 Chardonnay CIX Estate is rich, ample and explosive. A classic Mark Aubert wine, the CIX is off the charts. Soaring aromatics and deep, layered fruit take hold of the senses and never let up. White orchard fruit, jasmine, lemon confit, white pepper and spice lend nuance to a Chardonnay built on textural resonance. The 2022 is arrestingly beautiful from the first taste.

2022 Chardonnay Eastside Vineyard Russian River
Score: 96 Points

The 2022 Chardonnay Eastside Vineyard is a complex, racy wine. Oily and viscous, with a touch of reduction, the Eastside is a wonderfully complex, layered wine. Lemon confit, white flowers, mint, ripe pear and a kiss of French oak abound. This is a stellar Chardonnay from Mark Aubert.

2022 Chardonnay Larry Hyde & Sons Vineyard Carneros
Score: 95 Points

The 2022 Chardonnay Hyde Vineyard is elegant, gracious and beautifully lifted. This is an especially floral, refined version of Hyde, made all the more remarkable because this was the last fruit picked in 2022. It’s a style I find quite appealing.

2022 Chardonnay Lauren Estate Vineyard Sonoma Coast
Score: 96+ Points

The 2022 Chardonnay Lauren is a deep, powerful wine. It is also the most tightly wound and compacted of these Chardonnays. That won’t be an issue in a few years, but I would not be in any rush to open the 2022, as it very clearly needs time. Pear, ripe green apple and hints of jasmine linger.

2022 Chardonnay Park Avenue Estate Vineyard Sonoma Coast
Score: 94 Points

The 2022 Chardonnay Park Avenue is laced with hints of orange confit, passion fruit and jasmine. This is one of the more exotic Chardonnays in the range, especially aromatically.

2022 Chardonnay Powder House Estate Vineyard Sonoma Coast
Score: 96 Points

The 2022 Chardonnay Powder House is a seamless, elegant wine. All the elements are so well put together. Lifted aromatics open first. Bright citrus fruit, dried flowers, chalk and crushed rocks follow in a Chardonnay that impresses with its sublime balance. The long, persistent finish is a thing of beauty.

2022 Chardonnay Sugar Shack Estate Vineyard Napa Valley
Score: 94 Points

The 2022 Chardonnay Sugar Shack is a powerful wine marked by more of a phenolic textural feel. Dried lemon peel, chamomile, spice and crushed rocks abound. This is an especially savory Chardonnay endowed with real palate presence and tons of class.

2022 Chardonnay UV-SL Vineyard Sonoma Coast
Score: 95 Points

The 2022 Chardonnay UV-SL Vineyard is a potent, driving wine. Readers should be in no rush, as the 2022 is quite reticent and in need of cellaring. Strong mineral and phenolic notes dominate, while everything else is in the background. Lemon confit, pear, ginger and white flowers open with some coaxing, but this needs time. The only question is how much.

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2021 Chardonnay CIX Estate Vineyard Sonoma Coast
Score: 100 Points

Once again, the 2021 Chardonnay CIX Estate finds Mark Aubert as his most brilliant. Explosive and racy to the core, the CIX possesses superb density and textural resonance from start to finish. The only problem with the 2021 is that it is way too young to be at its best. This is all class.

2021 Chardonnay Eastside Vineyard Russian River
Score: 96 Points

The 2021 Chardonnay Eastside Vineyard is ample, rich and explosive, with tons of tropical character and to play off its resonant personality. Orange peel, spice, butter, passion fruit and a kiss of French oak fill out the layers. What a gorgeous and complete wine this is. Bright saline notes extend the finish effortlessly.

2021 Chardonnay Larry Hyde & Sons Vineyard Carneros
Score: 96 Points

The 2021 Chardonnay Larry Hyde and Sons Vineyard is stunning, Bright, vibrant and explosive, the 2021 Hyde is fabulous. Crushed rocks, mint, white pepper, pear, lime and jasmine all race out of the glass. This chiseled, sculpted Chardonnay shows just how magical the 2021 vintage is. This is one of the most refined Hyde Chardonnays I have tasted from Mark Aubert.

2021 Chardonnay Lauren Estate Vineyard Sonoma Coast
Score: 98+ Points

The 2021 Chardonnay Lauren is going to battle it out with the CIX for the best wine in this range of Chardonnays. Dense and layered, with superb persistence, the Lauren is not as obvious as many wines in this range, but it is sublime. Dried pear, spice, ginger and chamomile add layers of dimension. Just wait.

2021 Chardonnay Park Avenue Estate Vineyard Sonoma Coast
Score: 96 Points

The 2021 Chardonnay Park Avenue is one of the most powerful wines in this lineup. It offers a striking mix of orange confit with earthy, saline and mineral notes. Like all the 2021s here, the Park Avenue exudes textural intensity and persistence. The palate-staining finish is unforgettable.

2021 Chardonnay Powder House Estate Vineyard Sonoma Coast
Score: 95+ Points

The 2021 Chardonnay Powder House was quite closed when I tasted it from tank just prior to bottling. It comes across pretty much the same today. Readers are best advised to wait, or to at least give this a healthy decant. Pear, lemon peel, white flowers and crushed rocks open gradually, but the Powder House is in no mood to show its cards today.

2021 Chardonnay Sugar Shack Estate Vineyard Napa Valley
Score: 95 Points

The 2021 Chardonnay Sugar Shack offers all the natural intensity that is typical of this site, but in this vintage, married to tons of citrus and saline-driven energy. The Sugar Shack is not one of the most obvious wines in this range, but it exudes persistence, tension and class. There’s real textural depth and presence here.

2021 Chardonnay UV-SL Vineyard Sonoma Coast
Score: 97 Points

The 2021 Chardonnay UV-SL Vineyard is a beguiling, complete wine. Floral notes mixed with hints of reduction, orchard fruit and citrus lend character to a wonderfully complex and complete wine. All the elements are so well balanced. The 2021 is sublime in the way it marries richness with lightness.

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2022 Pinot Noir CIX Estate Vineyard Sonoma Coast
Score: 96 Points

The 2022 Pinot Noir CIX Vineyard is fabulous. Dark, vibrant and vertical in feel, the 2022 offers a compelling mix of dark-toned fruit, menthol, cloves, licorice and incense. The CIX is dynamic and bursting with flavor. It is the most potent and virile wine in the range, and also the last to be picked.

2022 Pinot Noir UV Vineyard Sonoma Coast
Score: 94 Points

The 2022 Pinot Noir UV Vineyard is such a classy wine. Crushed flowers, mint, bright red-toned fruit and cinnamon are some of the notes that grace this layered, vibrant Pinot. All the elements are so nicely balanced. Floral notes perk up the finish.

2022 Pinot Noir UV-SL Vineyard Sonoma Coast
Score: 94 Points

The 2022 Pinot Noir UV-SL Vineyard is laced with dark cherry, menthol, spice, dried flowers and blood orange. Medium in body, with terrific depth, the 2022 is another impeccable wine from Mark Aubert. Time in the glass brings out the wine’s breadth. This is the highest-elevation site in the Aubert portfolio.