Park Avenue elicits thoughts of icons, history, towers, and titans. Nestled between our ‘Lauren’ and ‘CIX’ Estate Vineyards, Park Avenue was our fourth Estate Vineyard to be planted and fifth to come into production. It shares the same hillside and exposure as Lauren, but has a distinctly different stretch of ancient seabed and subsoils.
Mark Aubert’s Tasting Notes
The 2021 Park Avenue is simply joyous. In the glass, bright green hues nod to the health and longevity of the wine. Boisterous aromas of lemon curd, mango lassi, and pear compote are interwoven with white pepper and cardamom for an exotic, compelling presentation. The palate is at once both luscious and ethereal, driven by an effusive minerality and acidity – classic Park Avenue. The wine can be enjoyed in this youthful and inviting state but will age beautifully over the coming 10-15 years. The wine is slightly hazy showing our commitment to minimal intervention winemaking.
Powder House is the culmination of Mark Aubert’s 30+ years producing Chardonnay. Planted with one of our rarest Chardonnay clones, Powder House highlights the distinct, powdery Goldridge soils on this hilly site.
Mark Aubert’s Tasting Notes
The 2022 Powder House effortlessly balances intense, driving minerality and tension with rich citrus and pome fruit character. The ancient seabed on which these vines are planted is transmitted through the wine into a powdered seashell and slate minerality that is counterbalanced by rich tart au citron and white nectarine oils. Heady orange blossom and lilac aromas unfurl with time, and a phenolic streak and crunchy acidity form a textural counterpoint to the natural sweetness presented by the vintage. Enjoyable today, the powerful structure of this wine will carry for 10 to 15 years in the cellar with ease. The wine is slightly hazy showing our commitment to minimal intervention winemaking.
The Hudson Vineyard runs along a northern stretch of Carneros soils that are thin and rocky. As a result, these old vines struggle to produce even the most modest of crops. After a long, 10 year wait to join the Hudson fraternity, we are pleased to be working with a grower who shares with us a common vision and dedication to quality. It was worth the wait.
Mark Aubert’s Tasting Notes
The 2019 Hudson is an enticing elixir of quince preserves, fresh almond, beeswax candle, apple turnover, and wet stone embellished with hints of musk rose and lavender honey. The concentrated palate is draped in white stone fruits, and its glycerin texture is braced by an exquisite mineral underpinning. This wine has more to reveal and will cellar confidently for 10-15 years. The wine is slightly hazy showing our commitment to minimal intervention winemaking.
The CIX Vineyard Chardonnay embodies everything we seek in a Chardonnay – distinctive aromatics, coupled with Goldridge soil that lends a varied richness and breadth. The aromatics reflect the soil influenced minerals with White Burgundian nuances.
Mark Aubert’s Tasting Notes
The 2022 CIX Chardonnay is opulent and generous, opening with waves of Honeycrisp apple, candied lemon peel, and tangerine cream. Jasmine and coriander add spicy, floral overtones. A subtle sweet-earthiness reminiscent of the vineyard after early spring showers underlies the exuberant fruit character. The wine is massively structured with a mouthcoating, oily texture that carries the finish for minutes. This wine will continue to develop and unfurl for 10 to 15 years to slowly reveal its true complexity. The wine is slightly hazy showing our commitment to minimal intervention winemaking.
Our first ever Estate Pinot Noir, the CIX is Grand Cru Aubert. This Pinot is our most reminiscent of red Burgundy. This cooler site in Forestville creates an ethereal, delicate, and elegant wine.
Mark Aubert’s Tasting Notes
The 2021 CIX Pinot Noir is sanguine and grounded. Heady marionberry, kirsch, and blood orange radiate from the glass. Complex, earth-driven tones of Ceylon tea, oyster shell and sous bois slowly unfurl with time. These hallmark earthy tones are the calling card of the elusive, white volcanic soils found here. A full body envelops the already polished tannic structure at the core of the wine. Suggested drinking window is 2024 through 2036.
Our passion for Eastside begins with its rocky slopes and cobbled soil, and is rewarded with the small, concentrated clusters that these vines struggle to produce each year. The distinctive site-specific undertones and complex fruit-driven overtones of this wine exemplify an Aubert Chardonnay.
Mark Aubert’s Tasting Notes
The 2022 Eastside is both exotic and grounded, opening with complex gravelly, flinty tones that are the calling card of this special, rocky site. Passionfruit gelee and feijoa frame Eastside’s classic mineral tones, along with subtle white pepper spice and blanched almond. The wine finishes with a mouthwatering acidity that promises a long, healthy life in the cellar for 10 to 15 years or more. The wine is slightly hazy showing our commitment to minimal intervention winemaking.
The vineyard has a simple moniker, “a warm spot in a cool place.” This unique climate allows us to achieve optimally ripe grapes with a vin-de-garde personality. The wine exhibits organic notes derived from the soil, while the palate reveals immense depth and complexity.
Mark Aubert’s Tasting Notes
The 2022 Larry Hyde and Sons perfectly showcases the richness of the 2022 vintage, with flashy aromas of fresh yellow peach and citron oil leaping from the glass. Wildflower honey, marmalade, and lemongrass notes add layers of floral complexity and sweetness reflective of its Carneros terroir. A rich, oily mouthfeel is perfectly balanced by a refreshing streak of acidity that lingers across the palate. Enjoy over the next 10 years. The wine is slightly hazy showing our commitment to minimal intervention winemaking.
Our first production of Lauren Estate wine was in 2003, and revealed our definition of perfection. Comprised of four distinct Chardonnay clones, this wine is a hypothetical blend of Sonoma Coast with White Burgundy. Fabulously concentrated and layered with density and extract, the aromatics and mouth feel are profound.
Mark Aubert’s Tasting Notes
The 2022 Lauren is intense and profound, with a kaleidoscopic array of aroma, flavor, and texture that morphs and expands in the glass. Fresh squeezed lime, honeycomb, beeswax, and a distinct crushed rock minerality erupt from the glass. The wine expands to reveal aromas of granny smith apple sorbetto and almond dacquoise alongside green cardamom and mango lassi. The wine is phenolic with an electric acid streak and natural gras only achievable with the old-vine heritage clone selections planted here. The intensity and energy of the wine will continue to crescendo for many years to come and will age with finesse and stature well beyond 10 years. The wine is slightly hazy showing our commitment to minimal intervention winemaking.
We set out to move a mountain; to narrow the stylistic differences between Napa and Sonoma Chardonnays. The clone specifically selected for our Rutherford site, Sugar Shack, is expressive of its terroir and can maintain high acidity levels. These qualities allow the resulting wine to express characteristics similar to its Sonoma cousins.
Mark Aubert’s Tasting Notes
The 2022 Sugar Shack is bright and inviting, with juicy Yubari melon, nectarine, and starfruit aromas bursting from the glass. Intricate details emerge as the wine evolves, revealing notes of rose, stem ginger, and a persistent stony minerality. On the palate the rich, satiny texture exemplifies the generosity of the vintage. This is a fabulous wine to enjoy over the next 10 to 15 years. The wine is slightly hazy showing our commitment to minimal intervention winemaking.
The unique clay composition of the soils at the UV site is exhibited in this Pinot Noir’s perfumed aromatics and voluptuous texture.
Mark Aubert’s Tasting Notes
The 2021 UV Pinot Noir is punchy and expressive, leaping out of the glass with wild strawberry, blackberry, and bright red plum fruits. The aroma is lifted by a bouquet of fresh violets and lavender, counterbalanced by an earthy and sweet terracotta minerality that echoes the brick-red clay soils of the vineyard. Mouthwatering acidity and supple tannins carry these complex aromas and flavors for a long, persistent finish. Suggested drinking window is 2024 through 2036.