The price of the Powder House is unchanged from last year and each of the others is up $5-$10. There are tasting notes from WA and others on the Aubert web site … Press - Aubert Wines
I’m thinking of getting some 2021 Aubert Chard for my daughter’s birth year (in magnum if possible). My experience with aged Aubert is pretty limited. Does anyone have any idea which of these cuvees might be the most age worthy?
I don’t know the alcohol percentages on the 2021s. I just looked at a few bottles from 2013-2020 and almost all were in the 15%-15.2% range. I think there were one or two appellation bottles that were 14.8% or 14.9%.
In spite of the numbers, these wines don’t taste hot or otherwise show the alcohol to me.
I just checked the back labels of the 2019 and 2020 Park Avenue. They both say 15.0%. I’m wondering if they just use that value for all of their wines.
I don’t find much difference in age-worthiness between the various bottlings, but I tend to drink my oldest when they are 10-12 years old and I haven’t had many much older.
As of now, I see the CIX, Larry Hyde, and Powder House available in mags.
I had the 05 Ritchie a year or so ago and it seemed to have a lot of life left. I’ve had a few 12 Sugar Shacks that were very good, but not as good as they could’ve been due to some heat.
Wait a year after delivery. Then you can open them at any time moving forward. They are absolutely delicious. Possibly best domestic chardonnay there is.
My email says my allocation does not open until Tuesday AM.
I have been on the list, and bought at every release, since 2019 (2017 vintage).
No issues at all with big buyers and long-tenured members getting early access, but I am little surprised to see new members getting an earlier allocation than existing members.
I’m in this boat as well. I’ve been buying a case a year since the 2014 vintage but my allocation opens on Tuesday also.
Regarding drinking windows, I would mention my experience with these wines is that many bottlings don’t require extended aging. The 2019 vintage marked a shift toward a more fresh (acidic) feel to these otherwise full and luxurious chards. I’ve had bottles (notably from 2015 and 2016, even Lauren and CIX) which I felt were best on release or shortly after and began to sag a bit with years of bottle time. Equally, some of the more recent bottlings (Powder House) have had so much makeup that a year in bottle has been really helpful to shed the oak.
All in all, my preference is to drink 1-3 years after release. These are special occasion wines that my wife really enjoys, so we continue buying them, even if my tastes have admittedly evolved since we started.