I’m not sure yet, but I’ll probably get a handful of the appellation Chards, 2 Park Avenues, and probably a Pinot or two. I don’t mind big Pinots, but I have had any of the Aubert single vineyard Pinots yet, so I’m not sure.
So I read that the 2019 aubert pinot’s are more on the elegant style. Not sure if it’s a change in winemaking or just the vintage, but allegedly they aren’t as heavy.
I have a ton of Aubert Chardonnay’s but I never heard of or been offered Park Avenue. Is that something new?
This is its first release. It’s a relatively new estate vineyard.
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where is the dislike button when I need it?
Has anyone tried the 2019 Hudson or this new Park Lane chard?
I have been on the Aubert mailing list for over a decade and have many cases of Aubert in my cellar and 1) I could not agree more with the folks who say the pinot’s are a “hot mess” and 2) the Chardonnay’s across the board are excellent but, as mentioned above, really benefit from 7-8 years in a cellar. As the first point, my ratio is about 70/30 Aubert chard to pinot and the spread increases every year. I have no idea why this happens but their pinots are so different from all the excellent pinots that come out of that area (i.e., Sonoma Coast) or other reference points (i.e., Burgundy). Less balance, over-ripe, high in alcohol and, yeah, a hot mess. As to the second point, the Chardonnay’s are excellent across the board. Well balanced, wonderfully made and drink beautifully after 7 or so years. I have not done much horizontal tasting of them (hey! - there’s an idea for fun weekend!) but I don’t think the differences are too great. I will say I think the alcohol is certainly a bit higher than in most white Burgundy (or at least the white Burgundy I prefer; YMMV) but the wines are so balanced it works (again, YMMV).
The discrepancy between the red and whites kind of makes me wonder if there is another winery that has such a similar spilt in its wines. Any suggestions?
I like their Chardonnays too. They’re usually a) very complex, b) with a high precision and c) all embedded in an elegant and soft structural frame. I must admit, however, that probably 50% of times, they have a sweet fruit core which is just too much for me (or without enough acidity to carry it). The best bottles are very Burgundian and great, the rest is hard to drink for me.
Here are some notes on the Vyds (I think I’ve saw a video of Mark Aubert discussing its wines with a critic some time ago, so the notes are from Mark not me)
Larry Hide: fatter and more voluptuous (despite being the coolest site)
Hudson: Cooler, with more cut, reduction and fresh orchard fruit => one for Burgundy lovers
Sugar Shack: a structured wine despite being from a hot site in Napa
UVSL: very structured, fresh and mineral driven with a lot of sea salt
Powderhouse: less depth than the others (young vyd), the most perfumed and floral one
Eastside: Grand Cru site, lots of acidity, very complex, usually needs time => one for Burgundy lovers
CIX: Grand Cru site, a bit different compared to the others, perfumed, flowery balanced with a nice saltiness and volcanic smoke/ash notes
Lauren: Grand Cru site, usually lots of concentration and minerality, gets the most new oak (but usually can absorb it).
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Andy, fantastic summary! Thanks
The recent Aubert emails say “This release is for our 2019 Single Vineyard Pinot Noirs, 2019 Hudson Vineyard Chardonnay and the inaugural release of our 2019 Park Avenue Estate Chardonnay,” but does anyone know if they will also be offering their appellation wines?
I just was added to the list in the spring and the email I received from their staff said Pinots and some additional Chard. Their appellation Pinot was offered in the spring as well as other single vineyard Chards
Got any standing up for Saturday ‘Jayhawk?’ lol
In case you hadn’t noticed, you do not need to stand up chardonnay.
It doesn’t really go with smoked brisket or baby back ribs, but I’m thinking of doing something with fish. It’s really up to Svetlana, since this is a thank you for her work on the COVID front lines.
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I emailed Aubert, and unlike previous releases, there will be no appellation Chardonnay offered in the upcoming release.
I have been on the list since inception and absolutely love these chardonnays. You virtually cannot go wrong with any vineyard. They age beautifully and right now we are drinking the '13s although I still have a smattering of older vintages. I even have a bottle or two of the 2001’s stuck away as an “experiment.” 20 years seems like the time to pop one!
Cheers!
Marshall
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interesting. does anyone know if case production is up in the SVD’s?
i’ve liked their appellation stuff a lot, definitely fits the baby aubert moniker well. suitable for drinking on the weekends as well as during the week.
I would disagree with the characterization of LH&S as fatter and more voluptuous - certainly not relative to the others in this range of wines. It typically has lower pH owing to the cooler nighttime climate in Carneros, to my recollection. Agree that it shares the most similarity with Eastside.
Sugar Shack, on the other hand (my least fave of the bunch) is the roundest/fattest with lower acidity
Your characterizations of UVSL/PH/ES/CIX resonate with my experiences with those wines for sure.
Lastly, my understanding was that all of these wines were treated similarly in the cellar with regard to oak regimen in effort to allow each site be the root of differences in expression, rather than choices in the cellar, but I’m interested to learn if that is not the case.
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Just placed my fall order. Skipped the Pinots this time. Really excited to taste Park Avenue!
My email says my offering opens July 13. Guessing the offering is tiered?
2018 was a rather large crop in NorCal. Id imagine there wasn’t enough fruit to allow for an Appellation wine in 2019.
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