James Suckling, Weekly Tasting Report – June 2024
The recent releases of Aubert, including the perfect-scoring Eastside 2022.
2022 Chardonnay CIX Estate Sonoma Coast
Score: 95 Points
Aromas of candied lemons, apples, crushed stone and hints of lemon leaves follow through to a full body of pretty fruit with lemon flowers and hints of gunpowder. It’s solid and all there. Needs a year or two to come together. Best after 2026.
2022 Chardonnay Eastside Vineyard Russian River
Score: 100 Points
Intense aromas of apples, green tea leaf oil and cooked apple. Full-bodied yet so reserved and intense, with a tight palate and a long, long finish. The concentration is phenomenal, but it’s framed by near perfect phenolics. Tightly wound and weightless. So spicy at the end. Reminiscent of Montrachet. Grand cru quality. Goes on for minutes. This is fantastic now to understand it’s potential but will be even better in years to come.
2022 Chardonnay Larry Hyde & Sons Vineyard Carneros
Score: 97 Points
There’s so much sliced lime and green apple with hints of toasted oak and salt water taffy. Full-bodied with a solid texture and well-integrated phenolics that give such great length and focus. Fluid and so attractive on the palate. Delicious now, but will show more complexity with age.
2022 Chardonnay Lauren Estate Sonoma Coast
Score: 99 Points
Purity of fruit, with dried apple skin, sliced pears, heather and lemon blossoms. Full-bodied, but it’s so textural with phenolics that spread across the palate and go on for minutes. Flint. Dense and very long. A wonderful expression of the essence of great chardonnay. Drinkable now but even better in three or four years and beyond.
2022 Chardonnay Park Avenue Estate Sonoma Coast
Score: 99 Points
Aromas of gunpowder, grated lemon rind, lemon curd, hazelnut butter, salted butter and flint. So complex. Medium- to full-bodied. Deep and thoughtful, with such intellectual and visceral pleasure. Wow. Drink this whenever your can. But it will age for decades.
2022 Chardonnay Powder House Estate Sonoma Coast
Score: 97 Points
Aromas of candied lemons, crushed stone and sage with some cream. So gorgeous. Full bodied, with density, depth and a crunchy character. Complex and thoughtful, with an electric finish of lemon zest and dried apples. Flavorful finish. Drink or hold.
2022 Chardonnay Sugar Shack Estate Napa Valley
Score: 97 Points
Very complex, with heather and sliced apple notes and hints of spearmint, salt water taffy, stones and white cedar. Full-bodied with a fluid and beautiful palate. Delicious. Broad and open. Pure fruit to it. So hard not to drink now.
2022 Chardonnay UV-SL Vineyard Sonoma Coast
Score: 97 Points
Lots of dried apple, pineapple, heather and seashell aromas with green pine needles. Full-bodied and dense with focused, layered fruit. Persistent and zesty. Oyster aftertaste. Drinkable now, but even better in three or four years.
2022 Pinot Noir CIX Estate Sonoma Coast
Score: 99 Points
Aromas of blackberries, black cherries, lavender, lemon peel and dark tobacco, with hints of oyster shells, dried seaweed and iodine. It’s decadent with notes of umami. Love this. Give this three to four years to mellow slightly, but so fascinating to drink now.
2022 Pinot Noir UV Vineyard Sonoma Coast
Score: 97 Points
An intense pinot with aromas of balsamic, plums and blackberries and hints of caramel, following through to a medium body with a beautiful frame of fine tannins. Solid and beautiful. Extremely long, gorgeous finish. Hard not to drink this now, but it will age beautifully.
2022 Pinot Noir UV-SL Vineyard Sonoma Coast
Score: 99 Points
So aromatic, with notes of lavender, rosemary, dark cherries, dark strawberries, rose petals and blood oranges. The palate shows creamy, ultra-fine tannins that spread across the tongue, with superb texture that goes on for minutes. Hints of Provencal flowers. Hemmed in and held back. So good now, but even better in three to five years.
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Articles and Reviews
- Wine Spectator - November 2024
- Wine Spectator - September 2024 Issue
- Wine Spectator - July 2024 Issue
- The Wine Advocate - July 2024
- James Suckling, Weekly Tasting Report - June 2024
- Vinous - May 2024
- The Wine Independent - September 2023 - Location, Location, Location
- Wine Spectator - June 2023
- Vinous - January 2023
- The Wine Advocate - December 2022 - Spotlight on Aubert
- James Suckling, Purity and Zest from Napa and Sonoma - November 2022
- The Wine Independent - September 2022 - The Citrus Circus
- Vinous - May 2022 - 2011 Napa Valley at Age Ten
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Press Archive
- Wine Spectator - Spring 2021 - Producer Spotlight
- The Wine Advocate - January 2021 - Spotlight on Aubert
- Vinous - January 2021
- James Suckling, Weekly Tasting Report - December 2020
- Wine Spectator - Spring 2020 - Producer Spotlight
- Vinous - January 2020 - 2017 & 2018 Napa Valley In Depth
- The Wine Advocate, Issue 245 End of October 2019
- Wine Spectator - July 31, 2019 - Annual Chardonnay Report
- Vinous - May 2019 - Exploring The Best New Releases from Sonoma and Beyond
- James Suckling, The Good and the Bad of Sonoma - November 2018
- The Wine Advocate, Mid-October 2018 New Releases
- Wine Spectator - July 31, 2018 - Annual Chardonnay Report
- June 2018 - Jeb Dunnuck
- Jan 2018 Vinous - Antonio Galloni
- The Wine Advocate Issue 233, October 2017
- May 2017 - James Suckling
- Jan 2017 Vinous - Antonio Galloni
- The Wine Advocate Issue 227, October 2016
- Jan 2016 Vinous - Antonio Galloni
- The Wine Advocate Issue 222, December 2015
- Jan 2015 Vinous - Antonio Galloni
- The Wine Advocate Issue 216, December 2014
- Wine Spectator Insider - July 30, 2014 Semi-Annual Report
- Jan 2014 Vinous - Antonio Galloni
- The Wine Advocate Issue 210, December 2013