Vinous – November 2025 – Napa Valley Soars

Mark Aubert’s young 2024s are striking. “It was a typical California year—lots of warmth, lots of sunshine,” Aubert commented. “But we had no days over 100 degrees in September, which was favorable. All those days happened in October, but we were all picked out.” The recently bottled Pinots offer a compelling mix of forward fruit and supporting energy, one of the signatures of this vintage. It’s a strong vintage for Chardonnay, where all the wines are deeply expressive of site. The bottled Chardonnays are every bit as exceptional as they were last year when I tasted them from tank prior to bottling. As appealing as the Chardonnays are young, I prefer them with a bit of bottle age—seven to ten years for most of the wines—although the top wines will drink beautifully beyond that.

2024 Chardonnay CIX Estate Vineyard Sonoma Coast
Score: 96 – 98 Points

The 2024 Chardonnay CIX Estate is seriously impressive. Rich, deep and explosive, the 2024 hits the palate with layered, intensely mineral-driven fruit. Orange peel, chamomile and floral-infused honey all build in the glass. Readers will find a deep, potent Chardonnay endowed with tremendous power and textural resonance. This is one of the very finest CIX Chardonnays I have tasted. Magnificent.

2024 Chardonnay Eastside Vineyard Russian River
Score: 94 – 96 Points

The 2024 Chardonnay Eastside Vineyard is a potent, tightly wound wine. It is going to need at least a few years to unwind. Citrus confit, white flowers, tangerine oil, crushed rocks, dried herbs and mint are finely sketched. Brisk acids pull it all together on the close. There’s terrific energy here.

2024 Chardonnay Hudson Vineyard Carneros
Score: 95 – 97 Points

The 2024 Chardonnay Hudson Vineyard is a classic Mark Aubert Chardonnay. Oily and viscous in feel, the 2024 offers up an exotic mix of ripe pear, jasmine, spice, slate and baked apple tart. Floral overtones build nicely in the glass, framed by a slight touch of reduction. Soft contours wrap it all together in style. This is a fabulous Hudson.

2024 Chardonnay Larry Hyde & Sons Vineyard Carneros
Score: 93 – 95 Points

The 2024 Chardonnay Hyde Vineyard is wine of total precision and class. Lemon confit, slate, white pepper, apricot, lightly honeyed notes and a kick of reduction are classic Hyde. In 2024, the Hyde is elegant, gracious and a bit ethereal.

2024 Chardonnay Lauren Estate Vineyard Sonoma Coast
Score: 96 – 98 Points

The 2024 Chardonnay Lauren is the most refined and sensual of the 2024 Chardonnays from Mark Aubert. Soft, caressing contours frame a core of apricot, lemon confit, white flowers, tangerine oil and chalk. This vivid, structured Chardonnay has a very bright future. This is such a classy and wonderfully complete wine.

2024 Chardonnay Park Avenue Estate Vineyard Sonoma Coast
Score: 95 – 97 Points

The 2024 Chardonnay Park Avenue is a dense, powerful wine. Tangerine confit, white flowers, slate, chalk, mint and light tropical inflections stain the palate. Deep and potent, with tons of palate presence, the 2024 Park Avenue is positively stellar. It’s one of the most crystalline, transparent wines in the range.

2024 Chardonnay Powder House Estate Vineyard Sonoma Coast
Score: 95 – 97 Points

The 2024 Chardonnay Powder House opens with soaring aromatics. Creamy and viscous, yet also remarkably refined, the 2024 is all class. In this tasting, the Powder House is a bit shy, just a touch reticent. Its long, persistent finish suggests a bright future lies ahead.

2024 Chardonnay Sugar Shack Estate Vineyard Napa Valley
Score: 94 – 96 Points

The 2024 Chardonnay Sugar Shack offers tons of immediacy right out of the gate. Orange confit, roasted apple, pastry notes, tropical overtones and a kiss of French oak are dialed up nicely. I imagine this will be one of the Chardonnays that drinks well on the earlier side. There is an exotic side to the Sugar Shack that is hugely appealing.

2024 Chardonnay UV-SL Vineyard Sonoma Coast
Score: 95 – 97 Points

The 2024 Chardonnay UV-SL Vineyard soars from the glass with captivating aromatics. Freshly cut flowers, slate, mint, chalk and dried herbs lend notable aromatic brightness. This tense, salivating Chardonnay is shaping up to be a jewel of wine. A bit of time in the glass brings out the wine’s textural richness and overall presence. There’s tremendous depth and intensity here.

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2023 Chardonnay CIX Estate Vineyard Sonoma Coast
Score: 98 Points

The 2023 Chardonnay CIX Estate marries textural opulence and vertical energy unlike any other wine in this range. Crushed rocks, mint, white pepper, slate, dried flowers, sage and chalk soar from the glass. All the elements are so well put together. There is a feeling of transparency here that is palpable. CIX is Mark Aubert’s coolest site. Year in, year out, the wines here are exceptional.

2023 Chardonnay Eastside Vineyard Russian River
Score: 95 Points

The 2023 Chardonnay Eastside Vineyard comes across as a bit reticent today. Medium in body and very aromatic, the 2023 is still coming out of its shell. Apricot, honey, dried white flowers, marzipan, crushed rocks and hazelnut emerge with a bit of coaxing. Time in the glass softens the contours nicely.

2023 Chardonnay Hudson Vineyard Carneros
Score: 96 Points

The 2023 Chardonnay Hudson Vineyard is a very sexy wine. Creamy, layered and generous in the glass, the 2023 is positively stellar. Ripe pear, green apple, white flowers and a hint of spice caress the palate. The 2023 is so open and engaging today. All the elements are impeccably balanced. Racy, voluptuous contours wrap it all together in style.

2023 Chardonnay Larry Hyde & Sons Vineyard Carneros
Score: 95 Points

The 2023 Chardonnay Hyde Vineyard is classic Hyde. Just textbook. Orange confit, lychee, burnt sugar, baked apple tart and apricot are dialed up all the way. Flashy, exuberant and opulent to the core, the 2023 is a great Hyde from Mark Aubert. An archetype.

2023 Chardonnay Lauren Estate Vineyard Sonoma Coast
Score: 99 Points

The 2023 Chardonnay Lauren is the Mark Aubert wine par excellence. Creamy and layered, the 2023 is so sensual and alluring. Orange confit, mint, baked apple and a kiss of French oak all grace the palate. Lifted, precise and so elegant, the Lauren impresses with its seamless personality and compelling balance.

2023 Chardonnay Park Avenue Estate Vineyard Sonoma Coast
Score: 97 Points

The 2023 Chardonnay Park Avenue is a classy, polished wine. Today, the wine’s brightness and overall energy stand out most. Crushed rocks, slate, mint, white pepper, chalk and mint all race out of the glass. This really sizzles with tension and minerality. The 2023 is an especially fine, layered Park Avenue. Memorable.

2023 Chardonnay Powder House Estate Vineyard Sonoma Coast
Score: 97 Points

The 2023 Chardonnay Powder House finds Mark Aubert at the top of his game. Rich and unctuous in the glass, the 2023 has it all. Preserved lemon, white flowers, slate, mint, tangerine oil, lychee, and a kiss of French oak fill out the layers. A flicker of reduction adds freshness as this opulent, large-scale Chardonnay shows off its alluring personality.

2023 Chardonnay Sugar Shack Estate Vineyard Napa Valley
Score: 96 Points

The 2023 Chardonnay Sugar Shack is redolent of apricot, chamomile, floral-infused honey, marzipan and dried flowers. Brisk acids lend energy. There’s a ton of phenolic depth and savory intensity here. This builds beautifully with time in the glass. Superb.

2023 Chardonnay UV-SL Vineyard Sonoma Coast
Score: 96 Points

The 2023 Chardonnay UV-SL Vineyard is a wild, exotic wine. Lifted tropical notes meld into a core of green orchard fruit, mint and lime zest. As is so often the case, the UV-SL is defined by its textural presence, layers of fruit and plush, enveloping curves.

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2024 Pinot Noir CIX Estate Vineyard Sonoma Coast
Score: 95 Points

The 2024 Pinot Noir CIX Vineyard is another potent, virile wine in this lineup. Brisk acids and beams of tannin shape this vibrant, driving Pinot. Cool red- and blue-toned fruit emerge with some reluctance. This is a bit raw today, but there’s a lot of wine here for those who can wait.

2024 Pinot Noir Park Avenue Estate Vineyard Sonoma Coast
Score: 95+ Points

The 2024 Pinot Noir Park Avenue Estate is one of the most savory, reticent wines in the range. Dried herbs, mint and crushed flowers lend tons of aromatic presence. This dense, packed Pinot is going to need at least a few years to unwind.

2024 Pinot Noir UV Vineyard Sonoma Coast
Score: 94 Points

The 2024 Pinot Noir UV Vineyard is a gorgeous, restrained wine. Crushed flowers, sweet red-toned fruit, chalk, dried herbs and mint lend the UV tons of aromatic complexity to match its mid-weight personality. It shows the more vibrant style Mark Aubert favors today. It’s also the most open of the Aubert Pinots at this stage. The 2024 is pure seduction, even in the very early going.

2024 Pinot Noir UV-SL Vineyard Sonoma Coast
Score: 96 Points

The 2024 Pinot Noir UV-SL Vineyard is rich and voluptuous in the glass. Supple dark red cherry fruit, plum, rose petal, blood orange, sage, pomegranate and sweet spice fill out the layers. Plush contours wrap it all together in style. Readers who enjoy exuberant, broad-shouldered Pinots should gravitate to this bottling.