The Wine Advocate, Issue 245 End of October 2019

Lisa Perrotti-Brown, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate

“2017 was incredibly stressful…” recalled Mark Aubert. “The finished wines are just so intense.” Aubert had finished picking well before the fires in 2017. In fact, the Sugar Shack vineyard in Rutherford—usually the first vineyard to come in—was being harvested during my visit in late August that year, and so it missed even the Labor Day heat wave. Harvest continued for about four weeks. The winery was closed up tight during the fires to prevent smoke infiltration. Power went off for about an hour, but they have a back-up generator.

“2018 was a big sigh of relief this year compared to 2017!” Aubert continued. “2018 was a substantially cooler vintage. One of the hallmarks of the 2018s was fantastic fermentations, incredible acidity and very successful malolactics.”  Those familiar with Aubert know that Mark does not practice extended barrel maturation. He had just finished racking the 2018 Chardonnays to tank when I visited in August 2019, prepping them to be bottled in December 2019. The 2018 Pinot Noirs were bottled in early July 2019.

2018 Chardonnay CIX Estate Vineyard Sonoma Coast
Score: 97-99 Points

The 2018 Chardonnay CIX Estate slips sensuously from the glass with beguiling scents of apple blossoms, honeysuckle and orange peel over a core of ripe Bosc pears, coriander seed, white pepper and shaved almonds plus a touch of talc. Full-bodied, rich and seductive, it has seamless freshness and the most beautifully perfumed personality, finishing long and fragrant.

2018 Chardonnay Eastside Vineyard Russian River
Score: 97-99+ Points

Eastside is a warmer site in Russian River that is composed of very rocky, gravelly soils. It is usually harvested second, after Sugar Shack. Wow—the 2018 Chardonnay Eastside has a truly compelling hazelnut/praline character with a core of spice cake, apple pie, peach preserves and clotted cream plus suggestions of cloves, allspice and brioche. Full-bodied, the palate is a powerhouse of savory layers, lifted by fantastic freshness and allowing the beautifully pristine apple and peach flavors to kick in on the long, long finish.

2018 Chardonnay Hudson Vineyard Carneros
Score: 97-100 Points

The 2018 Chardonnay Hudson opens with profound beeswax, apricot preserves, baked pineapple and musk perfume with hints of waxy lemons, almond croissant and a waft of cedar. Full-bodied, rich and decadently fruited, it has layer upon layer of savory/stone-fruit-sweet and tropical fruit notions, framed by bold freshness and a creamy texture, finishing very long.

2018 Chardonnay Larry Hyde & Sons Vineyard Carneros
Score: 97-99 Points

The 2018 Chardonnay Larry Hyde & Sons leaps from the glass with vivacious fresh grapefruit, lemon peel, orange blossoms and lime cordial notes with nuances of fresh ginger, hay, sea spray and chalk dust. The full-bodied mouth explodes with the whole citrus-fruit flavor spectrum—lemons, limes, oranges and grapefruit on steroids—complemented by loads of spicy sparks and lifted by amazing freshness, sporting a provocatively creamy texture and finishing long.

2018 Chardonnay Lauren Estate Vineyard Sonoma Coast
Score: 98-100 Points

The 2018 Chardonnay Lauren Estate explodes effortlessly from the glass, emitting flamboyant crystalized ginger, cinnamon stick, green tea and lime cordial notions with suggestions of applesauce, lemongrass, honey-roasted almonds and paraffin wax plus a touch of cedar chest. Full-bodied, the palate is wonderfully earthy/savory, delivering a beautiful oiliness to the texture juxtaposed by spine-tingling purity and freshness, finishing with epic length.

2018 Chardonnay Powder House Estate Vineyard Sonoma Coast
Score: 96-99 Points

The nose bursts from the glass with notes of lemon meringue pie, lime curd, tangerine peel and candied ginger plus touches of lightly browned toast, cashews and a waft of cedar. The full-bodied palate starts out gentle and floral, expanding into a citrus explosion on the finish, featuring a wicked backbone of freshness and loads of compelling savory sparks that will keep you coming back for more.

2018 Chardonnay Sugar Shack Estate Vineyard Napa Valley
Score: 97-99 Points

The 2018 Chardonnay Sugar Shack comes bounding out of the glass with candied lemon peel, green mango, guava and lime leaves plus hints of honeysuckle, toasted almonds, crushed stones and nutmeg. Full-bodied, the palate is electric with concentrated citrus and tropical fruits and the most amazing tension, featuring a satiny texture and very long, pristine finish.

2018 Chardonnay UV-SL Vineyard Sonoma Coast
Score: 96-98+ Points

The 2018 Chardonnay UV-SL comes across as a little shy compared to the Napa Chardonnays, slowly unfurling to reveal oyster shells, peach blossoms, honeysuckle and brine notes over a core of lemon marmalade, crème brûlée and pink grapefruit plus a touch of key lime pie. Full-bodied, the palate is like a tightly coiled spring with loads of tension between the racy acid and all the taut fruit, finishing very long and very minerally. This should be very long-lived!

2018 Pinot Noir CIX Estate Vineyard Sonoma Coast
Score: 97 Points

Medium ruby-purple colored, the 2018 Pinot Noir CIX Estate is a little closed to begin, opening with fragrant red roses, raspberry leaves, black tea and damp soil notes over a core of kirsch, mulberries and redcurrant jelly plus a touch of Sichuan pepper. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has an amazing finely grained texture with bold freshness and intensely perfumed red fruit carrying right on through the long finish.

2018 Pinot Noir UV Vineyard Sonoma Coast
Score: 98+ Points

Medium to deep ruby-purple colored, the 2018 Pinot Noir UV Vineyard rolls out of the glass with intense notes of Morello cherries, rhubarb, raspberry pie, bouquet garni and lilacs with suggestions of Marmite toast, fungi, fragrant soil and forest floor. Full-bodied, the palate is packed with crunchy red berries plus loads of earthy accents, framed by firm, grainy tannins and seamless freshness, finishing long with a wonderfully spicy kick. Delicious now, this should age incredibly well, generously rewarding those with enough patience to defer their gratification.

2018 Pinot Noir UV-SL Vineyard Sonoma Coast
Score: 96 Points

Medium to deep ruby-purple in color, the 2018 Pinot Noir UV-SL sashays out of the glass with flashy black cherries, black raspberries and mulberries scents plus suggestions of violets, dark chocolate, cinnamon stick and cloves with wafts of garrigue and mossy bark. Medium to full-bodied, the palate has a taut backbone of firm, finely grained tannins and fantastic freshness supporting the muscular black fruits, finishing on a lingering earthy note.

2017 Chardonnay CIX Estate Vineyard Sonoma Coast
Score: 99 Points

The 2017 Chardonnay CIX Estate is so delightfully savory, you could make a whole meal of it! It opens with bags of praline, pain grille, allspice and dill seed notions over a core of baked apples, pear tart, aniseed and lime leaves plus a touch of sea spray. Full-bodied, the palate has fantastic texture with a little chewy grip countering the slight oiliness and supporting the savory layers beautifully, finishing long and refreshing. Man, I just personally love the style of this wine!

2017 Chardonnay Eastside Vineyard Russian River
Score: 98 Points

The 2017 Chardonnay Eastside struts out of the glass with confident notes of green guava, honeydew melon, fresh nectarine and lemonade plus touches of struck match, brioche, roasted almonds and candied ginger. Full-bodied, the palate has amazing concentration and energy, giving mouth-coating citrus and tropical fruit flavors, finishing fantastically long and mineral laced.

2017 Chardonnay Hudson Vineyard Carneros
Score: 98 Points

The 2017 Chardonnay Hudson features super intense notes of freshly squeezed lemon, lime zest, warm apricots and honeydew melon with hints of hay, paraffin wax and crushed nuts plus a waft of cinnamon toast. The full-bodied palate is very tightly wound with electric tension and has loads of citrusy accents coming through on the very, very long finish.

2017 Chardonnay Larry Hyde & Sons Vineyard Carneros
Score: 97 Points

The 2017 Chardonnay Larry Hyde & Sons explodes from the glass with bombastic lime cordial, pink grapefruit and rhubarb pie scents with suggestions of fresh ginger, green mango and acacia honey plus a touch of praline. Full-bodied, the palate has a wonderfully savory undercurrent with brioche nuances complementing the powerful tropical fruit, framed by great freshness, finishing with epic length.

2017 Chardonnay Lauren Estate Vineyard Sonoma Coast
Score: 100 Points

The 2017 Chardonnay Lauren Estate starts out with a quiet intensity of ripe pears, apricot tart and spiced apples notes, growing exponentially to reveal a whole spectrum of savory/earthy nuances: marzipan, cashews, yeast extract, oolong tea, chalk dust and nutmeg. Full-bodied, the palate truly lets off the flavor fireworks, giving up loads of citrus, stone fruit, pears and savory flavors plus a racy backbone, finishing very long and very moreish.

2017 Chardonnay Powder House Estate Vineyard Sonoma Coast
Score: 97+ Points

The 2017 Chardonnay Powder House Estate unwinds with coaxing to offer glimpses at baked apple, poached pears, peach preserves and pineapple upside-down cake plus hints of praline, crème brûlée and clover honey. Full-bodied, the palate features a wicked backbone of freshness, beautifully lifting all those concentrated, densely packed flavors, finishing very long and wonderfully pure.

2017 Chardonnay Sugar Shack Estate Vineyard Napa Valley
Score: 98 Points

Notes of lemon tart, lime cordial and preserved pineapples leap from the glass, followed by suggestions of chopped cashews, coriander seed, juniper and aniseed. Full-bodied, the palate has a seductively satiny texture and soft acidity, leading with bold, expressive stone fruit preserves and spicy layers, finishing very long and very decadent.

2017 Chardonnay UV-SL Vineyard Sonoma Coast
Score: 99 Points

The 2017 Chardonnay UV-SL flaunts a wonderfully Puligny-esque nose, featuring a subtle, elusive matchstick character over the bold grapefruit, white peaches and lemon pie scents plus nuances of cashews, melted candle, crushed rocks and oyster shells. Full-bodied, the palate is arrestingly elegant with a whole myriad of nuances, delivering seamless freshness at its core and finishing very long with loads of lingering savory notes.