Popped and poured. Subtle nose showing pear, orange peel and a little sea salt. The wine is medium to full bodied, silky and elegant and remarkably fresh still. This lacks the complexity of the best vintages but is still quite good. Aubert is the most consistent long term agers among chardonnays that I have found.
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Last of my 3 bottles & 2nd in the past week. Purchased direct from winery & cellared since. Past it’s prime & in a downside. Not very enjoyable, very disjointed & flabby. My 3/30 bottle was not good. Tonight was better but still not Aubert quality. Opened a ‘14 to follow this & it was measurably better. Wonder if ‘13 was just not a long lived vintage. Still thankful for the opportunity.
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Golden yellow. Nose feels quite advanced. Lemon tart, toast, yellow apple and slight stone fruit on the nose. Good acidity on the palate, long finish. Not sure if the bottle was just off, or if it was just falling apart. Will try another one soon and report back, although given the fact that I had the same experience than the previous reviewer, I'm not optimistic. Drink up.
Golden yellow. Restrained nose of caramel and light toast. Meyer lemon, green apple, slightly oxidized notes of caramel and light toast. Drinking nicely but I would recommend drinking up at this point before the inevitable decline occurs.
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Had this in July 2017 and it was a different experience then. Brighter with more fruit. As you'd expect, six years later and it has more of a burnt creme brulee essence and some heat on the finish. Definitely showing its' age with some slight oxidation. Still scored it the same as I appreciated this evolved version as well. It benefitted from one hour of air (and subsequent aeration in the glass) and a slight chill helps to mitigate the heat on the finish. Very mature tasting but not old or over the hill at all, though I'm not sure there's much improvement with further ageing. The gold color was another indicator of age. Unless you're a fan of really mature California Chardonnay, I'd suggest drinking this sooner than later.
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Pale gold color. Loads of caramel, baked apple, and butter on the nose. Medium-to-medium-full body, medium-to-medium-low acid. Very rich, with initally noticeable oak. Took some time to open up before delivering lemon curd, orange marmalade, and crème brulee, and a hint of oxidized flavors. Really great depth and length. Outstanding example of California chardonnay; wine of the year candidate
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So much potential in the glass. I found this tightly wounded with excerpts of lemon dust. I would next time decant and then hold for 2-4 more years. Maybe like a burgundy in a dumb period.
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Drank over a week with Coravin. This note is from the last glass. Really just a lot going on. Brassy yellow color. Slightly cloudy? Nose is lively (and lovely) - crème brûlée (but strongly of burnt sugar) lemon curd, ripe Bartlett pear. In the mouth medium viscosity, but thicker as it warmed up. Cutting acidity. It was great as an aperitif, and then thru the main (grilled bass), and even after the meal with cheese plate. Gosh, what a happy wine.
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Wow. This is stunning. Makes me truly lament the numerous Aubert Chardonnays I had way too young. At eight years of age this is stunning . Deep Golden hue. Tropical fruits, some creme brûlée, a bit of crushed rocks and salinity on the nose. The mouthful is beautiful . Some tart apple and tangerine, with pineapple - def medium plus bodied. Long finish with pleasant bitterness . Terrific acidic cut. This is really a true CA grand cru.
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BYO US Wines (@Terkel): Good and classic Chardonnay fruit with a touch of oak. Some vanilla coming through but it is in a great balance. Solid depth and length revealing a very lovely wine. It was a huge surprise when this was revealed after tasting it blind. Probably my best Aubert with age and it seems to have balanced out nice. The alcohol feel is not overdone as I normally find when tasting them. Young though.. Loved it!
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This totally surprised us with its beautiful fruit and its amazing depth. We never had a chardonnay this old that held up so well . We drank over 2 days. It was a great wine! I concur with member SCHIFFY's recent tasting note.
Wow...just when you think an Aubert Chardonnay can't get better...it does! This eight year old Chardonnay tastes as fresh, lively and bright as a 2019 Aubert but with the depth, complexity of an aged white burgundy. Citrus, lemon and tropical flavors all integrate into a wildly interesting Chardonnay. Age has certainly made this wine even better over time.
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Like last time, a very nice wine. All the pieces are there in balance. One of the nicer Laurens we’ve had. Recommend a decant and letting this warm up a bit.
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Bright lemon and green apple flavors. Marzipan and roasted nuts. Prominent acidity balances the oak. Not in the same league as the Eastside cuvée tasted alongside.
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Anything Goes (Zoom): Poured into 5 single-serving jars, drank 2 hours later via Zoom. Wow, bursting with acidity, lemon, golden fruit, slight oak, gunflint and citrus. For at least the first 30 minutes, the acidity is striking and also distracting as though it isn't well-integrated. I will try my next bottle in 2+ years.
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Virtual Holiday Wine Tasting (Home): Light medium gold color. Drank a glass blind over an hour plus. Everything is easier in hindsight. The reveal on this wine made perfect sense, as it was a California emulation of Burgundy. I found this a bit more oaky oout front tonight and a little complex and expressive than I expect from Aubert and from this bottle in particular. Yet, this was evolving and becoming more integrated and interesting right up to the last drop. At the outset, tart lemon, oak barrel and hints of fresh sea air on the nose. Gradually this showed more open wistful floral notes and pear fruits. The palate was similar with crisp acidity, tart citrus, mostly lemon blazing through, and oak; then after more than 40 minutes in glass this seemed to settle its oak and come more into to focus and show that class one would expect.
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The Players: A great lineup for this tasting, which featured the following wines: 2013 Aubert Lauren Vineyard 1982 Leoville Poyferre 1996 Chateau Cos d'Estournel 1994 Dominus 2009 Bryant Family Vineyard 2010 Sine Qua Non Syrah Five Shooter 2009 Suduiraut Sauternes
The Prep: All wines were poured into jars and transported, and consumed 2-4 hours later. The following wines had additional decant times: 1996 Cos d'Estournel - 1 hour decant before pouring into jars 2009 Bryant Family - 1 hour decant before pouring into jars 2010 Sine Qua Non Syrah Five Shooter - 2 hour decant before pouring into jars
Voting/Ranks: (Group) WOTN - 1994 Dominus #2 (Tie) - 1982 Leoville Poyferre #2 (Tie) - 1996 Cos d'Estournel (My Ranking) WOTN - 1994 Dominus #2 - 1982 Leoville Poyferre #3 - 1996 Cos d'Estournel #4 - 2009 Bryant Family Vineyards Cabernet #5 - 2010 Sine Qua Non Syrah Five Shooter Note: only 1 point separated the top wine from the Botton wine in this group (for me)
Wine Notes: 2013 Aubert Chardonnay Lauren Vineyard - My first Lauren, although, in general, I am a huge fan of Aubert wines. Some thought this was still too young. While I agree it will get better, it is still drinking great right now! The nose showed white flowers, brioche, and a hint of citrus. The palate was even more pleasing with pear dominating, but plenty of Meyers Lemon, green apple, gunflint and minerality, with well integrated sweet toasted oak. A thoroughly delicious Aubert with plenty oof fruit and acidity that shows this is even more age-worthy. Drinking well now and an easy 94+, but with an upside down the road to add a point or two! I love Aubert wines, and this is proof that their high reputation is well deserved!
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This one was more oxidized than I expected and has been stored in 55-degrees since purchase. It was still very nice and had some nice notes that come from Aubert along with the oxidized notes. Disappointed a bit, but have two left and will cross my fingers for the next two.
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good but not as amazing as past bottles tonight. might be the chard we had prior to this or perhaps the bottle itself? lacked the intense stone fruit with strong acidic core from prior bottles. this was a but on the lush pineapple side and could have used two more notches of intensity on the acidity. my older auberts from my cellar have been so good that i think this was an odd outlier...
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terrific and affirming why this is one of a very small handful of CA chardonnays that I love and enjoy drinking. As my palate gravitates to white burgundy, I have found aged Aubert whites to truly be CA grand crus - delicious, complex, great acidity with the oak tamped down versus when they were young and the oak was too pronounced
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Similar to prior note after a double decant; outstanding & starting to drink well, but still a little young, drink or preferably hold. Went beautifully with homemade white truffle pasta!
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Tonight Aubert's 2013 Lauren is nothing like my last bottle, which I will conclude was off, with a classic Aubert profile of lots of everything. Pear, peach, dried herb, spice. Dense fruit, almost painfully so, kept lively with bright acidity. Very, very good.
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Amazing mineralogy and flintiness. Like drinking liquid pebbles. Meyer lemons and marzipan. Long lingering finish with plenty of acidity to balance the oak. Delicious
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Performing like a top Batard Montrachet. Citrus notes, some apple and pear combine with brioche autumn spice. Aubert has the Midas touch in using 100% new French oak that is so well integrated. This wine has great balance and a 60 second finish. Great juice.
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Light gold color. Split bottle over 4 hours. Love the nose, Meyer lemon, lemon zest, orange f=peel, very fresh, subtle cedarbox, fennel, fine minerality. The palate is medium bodied; there a good bit of minerality in the foundation with brightness and crisp acidity; lemon, Meyer lemon, toasted oak barrel, gunflint, pear and long finish. This is drinking well, and should hold for at least several years.
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Similar to my previous note although better balance with a little less overwhelming citrus fruit, great minerality, great intensity. Very good at this age, could still age another 5 years without a blink.
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Yellow color with a bouquet and flavor of apple, pineapple, citrus, creme brulee, and toast. Very nuanced with good depth and excellent balance with the oak very well integrated. Long, lingering finish. Similar to the first bottle. A tribute to the winery.
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Excellent CA Chardonnay. Much stronger tension and acidity than I recall from past Aubert and while the fruit is there, oak is pretty inter grated and low. Perhaps I’ve drunk all of my Auberts too young? This was really enjoyable. Medium plus golden hue. Lemon and pineapple, great acidity. Medium to full bodied and long finish. The lack of minerality and reductive notes tell me it’s not Burgundy but I really liked this.
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Yellow color with a bouquet and flavor of dried apple and pear with some toast and citrus notes with minerals in the finish. Intense yet nuanced with considerable depth and a long finish. Another win for Aubert.
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Similar to prior note after a quick double decant; delicious, but need to wait at least another year for my next bottle (it continued to improve throughout a lovely CWG dinner at LB on Las Olas)
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Popped and poured. This is a light-yellow wine with medium gold aspects on occasion. On the nose, I get beeswax, butter, and some wild flowers. The mouth is fluffy, with some reasonably offsetting freshness, all leaving a slightly floral finish. Overall, this is a nice Chard, albeit one that is not really my style (I like more saline and ocean/marine notes, both of which are not often found in California). It is still nicely rendered and a fine gift from my friend DAF. Drink now. 91 points.
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With scallops in lemon cream sauce, went perfectly. Mineral nose, some complexity, medium intensity. Good fruit, also French style, some crispness from acidity. None of us liked it as much as Butter Chardonnay, which was bigger, richer, more flavorful, and costs $15 instead of $100. Ric
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Jailbreak Wine Dinner - 08 Cristal, 16 PYCM Remilly and etc. (St. Anselm): As usual, a lot of everything. Intense nose displaying ripe yellow fruit with a hint of white, white peach, pear, a hint of match stick, lanoline, sesame and wet stone. Excellent concentration, coiled concentrated yellow fruit, dense and slightly heavy, bright acidity and mineral and a long dense yellow fruit driven finish. This is a big scale concentrated Chardonnay, a typical Aubert profile. I prefer the 14 Aubert Chardonnays which are fresher and slightly less concentrated.
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A definite contrast from the Magnum I had of this a year ago. This bottle was (as others have noted) somewhat muted in the fruit department. In fact, the fruit seemed somewhat progressed and overly-advanced given this was "just" a 2013. Vibrancy and verve were fairly lost on my palate this time around. The purity seemed intact, as did the balance, but the overall flavor profile was pedestrian compared to other Laurens I've had (from this vintage and other vintages). Bottle variation and all that hoopla reasoning as to why this occurred? Who knows. It was good, but it wasn't top shelf. Finishes a little hollow and short.
My Nostradamus mystic swamy weatherman fortune cookie advice...... Drink now before the fruit gets even more wonky. Again, this was a good bottle of Chardonnay, and Lauren is usually one of my favorites...but this bottle performed like one I could get at Total Wine for $49.95.
91-93 points, depending at what point during consumption this wine hit me.
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Not a 95+ chard. Compared to other Aubert SVD chards, I just think the fruit here is a little more muted. Maybe this means that this chard needs to sit a few years more. Compared to the 2016 SC chard that was opened up, there was less fruit but more complexity. IMO, not a full point of difference. Mango and Asian pear dense. Herbal. Full bodied. A delight as all Aubert chards certainly are. This one will hang on nicely I think, and wondering if 2 or 3 years might do this one well.
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Sweet tropical fruit, meyer lemon, and oak-derived spice. The palate doesn't follow suit, austere with tart fruit. Finishes with drying tannins. Not the most successful Aubert Lauren vintage but still nice enough.
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A yellow citrus core gushing with honey lemon and olive oil notes; fresh vanilla bean, lemon curd, creme brûlée, and subtle travertine rounded out the profile. Less of a mineral driven animal. A vibrant “yellow” wine if there ever was one. Perfectly balanced after a couple hours of decanted air, with an intensity I usually don’t affiliate with Lauren. (Magnum effect?)
Ideally hold for another year, give it some vigorous swirling and decant for a bit. 96-97 points. Gorgeous. One of my top wines of the night (of the 55+ sampled).
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Nose - custard Mouth - will start out by saying this is not really my style so take comments with a grain of salt. Rich vanilla, huge bodied, smoke, smoky, mouth coating, Potent -creme brûlée finish, wow, what richness . Yikes! Pair with foil gras, or kettlecorn . Not particularly refreshing. Unclear ( to me ) how this will age.
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What a difference a new bottle makes...after trying my first Lauren Chardonnay, this one has more balance and complexity with intense notes of lemon curd, melon and crushed rocks. Steely on the finish with terrific acidity.
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While this Chardonnay has terrific citrus and lemon fruit notes bursting with intensity, it did not have the usual Aubert balance and smoothness that I expect. Nice complexity with additional notes of stone fruit, apple and pear but a mild bite on the finish which is atypical of an Aubert wine.
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Previous notes apply from over a year ago in terms of the specific flavor profile. Not too much has changed with this wine, with notes of high-pitched yellow citrus, lemon grass, quince, white stone fruit, white flowers, and a bit of a bitter chalk note. Bracing acidity that screams for even more time in bottle. 2-3+ years I'm thinking, minimum. This is missing a little of the lovely viscosity and textural unctuousness that many of the other Auberts are able to exude, even in youth. It's just fairly tight overall, even with a couple of hours of decanted air. This behaved more like an Eastside than a Lauren.
I will hold my remaining bottle until at least 2020/2021 if I can help it. Still holding at 94+-ish points, with a good deal of potential upside if this puppy is better able to integrate its acid and broaden its shoulders a bit more.
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Some pretty golden hue to the wine and a good mix of charred pineapple and butterscotch and lemon oil. Great finish that goes on and makes you wanting to come back for another taste
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This brilliant Chardonnay combines complexity, power, and grace in a compelling fashion. A lot of CA winemakers can do big fruit, but Aubert has managed to match this richness with just the right amount of acidity. Refreshing without being searing, this wine has a depth and tension that are utterly captivating.
Onto the note: Light yellow in color, full in body, nose of lemon, gooseberry, and brioche. Tastes of grapefruit, lemon meringue, green apple, and vanilla bean, with a finish that goes on and on. 15% alcohol. The oak is present but in a supporting role (something people always say about butter-bombs, but it's true here). Decant for at least an hour, in order to make the wine open up and warm up - a process that, after a few hours, revealed notes of pear, pineapple, and butterscotch.
I've been a fan of Aubert's whites for a while, but I've always felt like I drank them too late or too early; this wine is just right, at least for me. The freshness and exuberance are lovely matches to the weight and ripeness; there is a energy here that is amazing for a wine of this depth. In this way, it is balanced, in the best sense of the word.
Spot on review from JJYOYO...particularly the "Less opulent..." observation. I've had many Auberts with mixed results and I realize that their opulent, monolithic nature is not my style currently. This vintage of The Lauren is more graceful and elegant then past Auberts I've had so it appeals to me more. Great on PnP with one trip through the Vinturi. Spur of the moment thing so didn't have time to, as Mark suggests, stand the bottle up overnight and decant for hours. And it was still great, lending creedence to my belief that a great wine will taste great no matter what you do to it or how it's served (within reason of course). I suggest serving at 50-55 degrees. Drinking beautifully now. Not sure that waiting gains you anything, unless you like your Chardonnay on the mature side.
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Strong minerality and acidity that give it a touch of almost sauvignon blanc on the nose. Also some light citrus aroma. Palate is very structured and balanced, with butterscotch, a little nectarine, and again wet slate. Less opulent than many Laurens I have had but more defined and precise as a consequence. Bouquet and taste are interestingly different. Very full mid-palate so the back seems to show less as a result -- it seems shorter than it really is, so take your time sipping it. So much backbone to this one I think it will last a few more years.
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Kathy offered me a glass of her Aubert during dinner, nose of Butterscotch, smoke, minerals, white peach, nectarine, and jasmine, same on the palate, medium/big body, complex, lovely, elegant, not quite as big or as rich as previous vintages, long, long finish, auction bottle for $95 and worth it to see Kathy smile as she sipped this chardonnay.
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Lemon, quince, stone, and the faintest hint of alkaline and alcohol on initial PnP. Air time didn't change this much, except that the fruit flavors fanned out a little more with some extra swirling in the glass. Back end was a hair clipped and thin (fruit didn't completely envelop the palate as much as I would've liked); youth seemed to be the culprit.
Viscosity and texture/mouthful were on point. Acid was in near-perfect check as well. Purity of fruit was evident, but it just felt like there wasn't a lot of that good fruit to go around. Lacked some minerality.
Tasted like a lesser version of an Aubert Chardonnay. It was a very well crafted Chardonnay, but not at the level I would want an Aubert to be. A very nice $45-50 type of wine, but at twice the price, I'm not convinced... not yet at least.
Am I being critical? Perhaps, but at this level, there should really be no question as to this wine's would-be superiority. 98+ points from RP seems like a total stretch in my opinion.
93-94+? points for me. Missing a little verve and intensity at this stage, which robbed it of some overall complexity. I'll hold my remaining bottles until 2018+ in hopes the flavors better integrate and fatten up more.
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Slightly chilled to mid fifties, I know, no way to treat a lady, but tonight it works. First sip, smoked pineapple fades to hints of stone fruit, than back to pineapple. Last night, went to a special party at a old high end country club. The trays of fruits, pineapple and cheeses that greeted upon arrival, perfect match for this wine. The special occasion, an eighth birthday and a fiftieth wedding anniversary. The slide show showing pic's from their youth, through raising kids and riding Vincents too old and hanging in there parried nicely with the ice cold Stella. Back to the Aubert. The acidic butterscotch is wiping out the fruit, but still slides down smoothly, leaves you wanting another sip before you sit the glass down. Traffic is on the turn table, rain maker rain maker, perfect.
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This needs a few years, extremely tight, citrus bomb, mineral and salty rock with a creamy finish and good acidity. Built for 10 years aging potential at least, very good but forget it for at least 3 years as its not showing its best right now.
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I like it, but this just isn't what Lauren means to me. It's great that all of the elements keep the alcohol in check, but it seems two dimensional. Good tropical fruits, lemon oil, and lovely jasmine and honeysuckle buds. Some nice smoke wafts in through there, but it's never inviting me for another sip unless I have something to eat (which was an amazing risotto today by the way). Very good Chard, but One of the least amazing Laurens in recent memory.
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Great balance between full mouthfeel and acid; in harmony. Citrus notes with honey and brioche giving it fullness. A hint of oak in the background. Wow is the best description for this wine.
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Pale cloudy gold. Powerful honeyed aromas of pineapple, pear, with nuances of vanilla. Bright, balanced and complex, finishing long and mouthwatering. A striking wine, with the characteristic elegance and mouthfeel of Aubert.
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Clear, pale/medium lemon in color with pronounced aromas of orange blossom, lemon custard, peach and apricot with hinted notes of candied ginger and roasted nuts. Dry with medium acidity and high alcohol. Pronounced flavors of aforementioned fruit are elegantly presented atop an underlying base minerality. Full bodied with notable viscosity; providing a creamy, softly textured presence on the palate that coats the mouth giving way to long lingering finish. Perceptible oak is here but so beautifully integrated that one barely notices its presence. Delicious now but will certainly drink well for a decade or beyond.
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Lovely more restrained pear, peach and nectarine notes with light floral-jasmine and lemon curd; ripe but not over-ripe, balanced, medium (+) weight, and a nice minerality of wet rocks; Wear's the high alcohol very well. A clean, crisp, mineral coastal wine (at least that's how it shows after the Napa wines). Never cared for the big Aubert wines--until now.
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4/12/2024 - mclanew Likes this wine: 94 Points
Popped and poured. Subtle nose showing pear, orange peel and a little sea salt. The wine is medium to full bodied, silky and elegant and remarkably fresh still. This lacks the complexity of the best vintages but is still quite good. Aubert is the most consistent long term agers among chardonnays that I have found.
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4/5/2024 - gbbwino wrote:
Last of my 3 bottles & 2nd in the past week. Purchased direct from winery & cellared since. Past it’s prime & in a downside. Not very enjoyable, very disjointed & flabby. My 3/30 bottle was not good. Tonight was better but still not Aubert quality. Opened a ‘14 to follow this & it was measurably better. Wonder if ‘13 was just not a long lived vintage. Still thankful for the opportunity.
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3/29/2024 - jfpwine wrote:
Golden yellow. Nose feels quite advanced. Lemon tart, toast, yellow apple and slight stone fruit on the nose. Good acidity on the palate, long finish. Not sure if the bottle was just off, or if it was just falling apart. Will try another one soon and report back, although given the fact that I had the same experience than the previous reviewer, I'm not optimistic. Drink up.
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2/9/2024 - wine65 wrote: 91 Points
Golden yellow. Restrained nose of caramel and light toast. Meyer lemon, green apple, slightly oxidized notes of caramel and light toast. Drinking nicely but I would recommend drinking up at this point before the inevitable decline occurs.
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12/7/2023 - ozziewine Likes this wine: 94 Points
Had this in July 2017 and it was a different experience then. Brighter with more fruit. As you'd expect, six years later and it has more of a burnt creme brulee essence and some heat on the finish. Definitely showing its' age with some slight oxidation.
Still scored it the same as I appreciated this evolved version as well.
It benefitted from one hour of air (and subsequent aeration in the glass) and a slight chill helps to mitigate the heat on the finish.
Very mature tasting but not old or over the hill at all, though I'm not sure there's much improvement with further ageing. The gold color was another indicator of age.
Unless you're a fan of really mature California Chardonnay, I'd suggest drinking this sooner than later.
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5/26/2023 - rcasaw wrote: 94 Points
great Aubert
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5/26/2023 - rcasaw wrote:
94
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4/12/2023 - jlgnml Likes this wine: 95 Points
Coravin and drank 2 months later. Wow. Flavors galore. Long finish. Top of its class. Drink or Hold.
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3/3/2023 - jlgnml Likes this wine: 95 Points
Always special.
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2/28/2023 - rustyRudy Likes this wine:
Light yellow, very citrusy when cold.
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1/29/2023 - rustyRudy wrote:
Dark yellow
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12/23/2022 - timothynbond Likes this wine: 96 Points
Pale gold color. Loads of caramel, baked apple, and butter on the nose. Medium-to-medium-full body, medium-to-medium-low acid. Very rich, with initally noticeable oak. Took some time to open up before delivering lemon curd, orange marmalade, and crème brulee, and a hint of oxidized flavors. Really great depth and length. Outstanding example of California chardonnay; wine of the year candidate
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11/21/2022 - Bigtuna Likes this wine: 92 Points
Needed a 3 hour decant
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10/2/2022 - rpenn77 Likes this wine: 93 Points
Delightful chard with a long finish.
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7/10/2022 - jlgnml Likes this wine: 93 Points
So much potential in the glass. I found this tightly wounded with excerpts of lemon dust. I would next time decant and then hold for 2-4 more years. Maybe like a burgundy in a dumb period.
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4/26/2022 - VindependenceDay Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drank over a week with Coravin. This note is from the last glass. Really just a lot going on. Brassy yellow color. Slightly cloudy? Nose is lively (and lovely) - crème brûlée (but strongly of burnt sugar) lemon curd, ripe Bartlett pear. In the mouth medium viscosity, but thicker as it warmed up. Cutting acidity. It was great as an aperitif, and then thru the main (grilled bass), and even after the meal with cheese plate. Gosh, what a happy wine.
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4/11/2022 - kkoshkin Likes this wine: 97 Points
Sublime. Could go another 10 years. Maybe 20.
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12/23/2021 - winelover1808 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Wow. This is stunning. Makes me truly lament the numerous Aubert Chardonnays I had way too young. At eight years of age this is stunning . Deep Golden hue. Tropical fruits, some creme brûlée, a bit of crushed rocks and salinity on the nose.
The mouthful is beautiful . Some tart apple and tangerine, with pineapple - def medium plus bodied. Long finish with pleasant bitterness . Terrific acidic cut. This is really a true CA grand cru.
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10/19/2021 - jlgnml Likes this wine: 95 Points
Need I say more.
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9/16/2021 - gotwine wrote: 97 Points
surprisingly young and vibrant - 97
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8/1/2021 - jlgnml Likes this wine: 95 Points
Given time it opened up to show how fantastic Mark’s wines are. Buy
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6/25/2021 - canan wrote: 95 Points
BYO US Wines (@Terkel): Good and classic Chardonnay fruit with a touch of oak. Some vanilla coming through but it is in a great balance. Solid depth and length revealing a very lovely wine.
It was a huge surprise when this was revealed after tasting it blind. Probably my best Aubert with age and it seems to have balanced out nice. The alcohol feel is not overdone as I normally find when tasting them. Young though..
Loved it!
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6/22/2021 - chetlee wrote: 96 Points
Stunning
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4/14/2021 - tcarter Likes this wine: 96 Points
Wonderful.
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4/5/2021 - lvjohn Likes this wine: 96 Points
This totally surprised us with its beautiful fruit and its amazing depth. We never had a chardonnay this old that held up so well . We drank over 2 days. It was a great wine! I concur with member SCHIFFY's recent tasting note.
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2/26/2021 - Schiffy Likes this wine: 98 Points
Wow...just when you think an Aubert Chardonnay can't get better...it does! This eight year old Chardonnay tastes as fresh, lively and bright as a 2019 Aubert but with the depth, complexity of an aged white burgundy. Citrus, lemon and tropical flavors all integrate into a wildly interesting Chardonnay. Age has certainly made this wine even better over time.
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2/14/2021 - BigTex22 Likes this wine:
Like last time, a very nice wine. All the pieces are there in balance. One of the nicer Laurens we’ve had. Recommend a decant and letting this warm up a bit.
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1/23/2021 - JoeDwine wrote: 95 Points
Epic
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1/16/2021 - nywine68 wrote: 93 Points
Bright lemon and green apple flavors. Marzipan and roasted nuts. Prominent acidity balances the oak. Not in the same league as the Eastside cuvée tasted alongside.
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12/30/2020 - Racer117 wrote: 92 Points
Surprisingly lighter in color. Crisp and lean (for Aubert!) with loads of acidity, lemon and peach flavors and aromas. Thanks to Joe for sharing.
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12/27/2020 - galewskj wrote: 93 Points
Anything Goes (Zoom): Poured into 5 single-serving jars, drank 2 hours later via Zoom. Wow, bursting with acidity, lemon, golden fruit, slight oak, gunflint and citrus. For at least the first 30 minutes, the acidity is striking and also distracting as though it isn't well-integrated. I will try my next bottle in 2+ years.
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12/27/2020 - rocknroller wrote: 93 Points
Virtual Holiday Wine Tasting (Home): Light medium gold color. Drank a glass blind over an hour plus. Everything is easier in hindsight. The reveal on this wine made perfect sense, as it was a California emulation of Burgundy. I found this a bit more oaky oout front tonight and a little complex and expressive than I expect from Aubert and from this bottle in particular. Yet, this was evolving and becoming more integrated and interesting right up to the last drop. At the outset, tart lemon, oak barrel and hints of fresh sea air on the nose. Gradually this showed more open wistful floral notes and pear fruits. The palate was similar with crisp acidity, tart citrus, mostly lemon blazing through, and oak; then after more than 40 minutes in glass this seemed to settle its oak and come more into to focus and show that class one would expect.
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12/27/2020 - I'd Rather Be Drinking Wine Likes this wine: 94 Points
Zooming Along with Anything Goes!: Zooming along with Anything Goes
The Players: A great lineup for this tasting, which featured the following wines:
2013 Aubert Lauren Vineyard
1982 Leoville Poyferre
1996 Chateau Cos d'Estournel
1994 Dominus
2009 Bryant Family Vineyard
2010 Sine Qua Non Syrah Five Shooter
2009 Suduiraut Sauternes
The Prep:
All wines were poured into jars and transported, and consumed 2-4 hours later. The following wines had additional decant times:
1996 Cos d'Estournel - 1 hour decant before pouring into jars
2009 Bryant Family - 1 hour decant before pouring into jars
2010 Sine Qua Non Syrah Five Shooter - 2 hour decant before pouring into jars
Voting/Ranks:
(Group)
WOTN - 1994 Dominus
#2 (Tie) - 1982 Leoville Poyferre
#2 (Tie) - 1996 Cos d'Estournel
(My Ranking)
WOTN - 1994 Dominus
#2 - 1982 Leoville Poyferre
#3 - 1996 Cos d'Estournel
#4 - 2009 Bryant Family Vineyards Cabernet
#5 - 2010 Sine Qua Non Syrah Five Shooter
Note: only 1 point separated the top wine from the Botton wine in this group (for me)
Wine Notes:
2013 Aubert Chardonnay Lauren Vineyard - My first Lauren, although, in general, I am a huge fan of Aubert wines. Some thought this was still too young. While I agree it will get better, it is still drinking great right now! The nose showed white flowers, brioche, and a hint of citrus. The palate was even more pleasing with pear dominating, but plenty of Meyers Lemon, green apple, gunflint and minerality, with well integrated sweet toasted oak. A thoroughly delicious Aubert with plenty oof fruit and acidity that shows this is even more age-worthy. Drinking well now and an easy 94+, but with an upside down the road to add a point or two! I love Aubert wines, and this is proof that their high reputation is well deserved!
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12/9/2020 - herzog330 Likes this wine: 90 Points
This one was more oxidized than I expected and has been stored in 55-degrees since purchase. It was still very nice and had some nice notes that come from Aubert along with the oxidized notes. Disappointed a bit, but have two left and will cross my fingers for the next two.
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11/30/2020 - winelover1808 Likes this wine: 91 Points
good but not as amazing as past bottles tonight. might be the chard we had prior to this or perhaps the bottle itself? lacked the intense stone fruit with strong acidic core from prior bottles. this was a but on the lush pineapple side and could have used two more notches of intensity on the acidity. my older auberts from my cellar have been so good that i think this was an odd outlier...
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11/19/2020 - cweiner Likes this wine: 94 Points
Agree with the recent notes. A pleasure to consume.
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11/1/2020 - winelover1808 Likes this wine: 95 Points
terrific and affirming why this is one of a very small handful of CA chardonnays that I love and enjoy drinking. As my palate gravitates to white burgundy, I have found aged Aubert whites to truly be CA grand crus - delicious, complex, great acidity with the oak tamped down versus when they were young and the oak was too pronounced
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11/1/2020 - jsmorris707 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Similar to prior note after a double decant; outstanding & starting to drink well, but still a little young, drink or preferably hold. Went beautifully with homemade white truffle pasta!
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10/18/2020 - rlove wrote: 93 Points
Tonight Aubert's 2013 Lauren is nothing like my last bottle, which I will conclude was off, with a classic Aubert profile of lots of everything. Pear, peach, dried herb, spice. Dense fruit, almost painfully so, kept lively with bright acidity. Very, very good.
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10/17/2020 - nywine68 wrote: 94 Points
Amazing mineralogy and flintiness. Like drinking liquid pebbles. Meyer lemons and marzipan. Long lingering finish with plenty of acidity to balance the oak. Delicious
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10/12/2020 - Callybrian Likes this wine: 91 Points
Hints of pineapple and vanilla on the nose. Nice presence of acid on the palate with pineapple and a hint of grapefruit
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9/13/2020 - Oldmanzin Likes this wine: 96 Points
Performing like a top Batard Montrachet. Citrus notes, some apple and pear combine with brioche autumn spice. Aubert has the Midas touch in using 100% new French oak that is so well integrated. This wine has great balance and a 60 second finish. Great juice.
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9/4/2020 - BigTex22 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Pretty spectacular. Well balanced, long finish. Intoxicating nose. This is as good as chard gets folks.
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7/18/2020 - lvjohn Likes this wine: 92 Points
Not as impressed with this one as I expected. The flavors were all quite subdued, but very well integrated. No flaws whatsoever.
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6/20/2020 - rocknroller wrote: 94 Points
Light gold color. Split bottle over 4 hours. Love the nose, Meyer lemon, lemon zest, orange f=peel, very fresh, subtle cedarbox, fennel, fine minerality. The palate is medium bodied; there a good bit of minerality in the foundation with brightness and crisp acidity; lemon, Meyer lemon, toasted oak barrel, gunflint, pear and long finish. This is drinking well, and should hold for at least several years.
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5/22/2020 - pakabear Likes this wine: 95 Points
Similar to my previous note although better balance with a little less overwhelming citrus fruit, great minerality, great intensity. Very good at this age, could still age another 5 years without a blink.
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5/20/2020 - rcg62 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Drinking great. Lots of citrus, lime, some apple and pear. Has gained some weight, richer than I remember. No signs of age, has only improved.
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5/5/2020 - rpenn77 Likes this wine: 92 Points
Notes of honey and butterscotch. Not overly naked.
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4/27/2020 - rpenn77 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Flavors of honey and subdued tropical fruits on the nose with a long finish.
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4/3/2020 - tcosgriff Likes this wine: 95 Points
Yellow color with a bouquet and flavor of apple, pineapple, citrus, creme brulee, and toast. Very nuanced with good depth and excellent balance with the oak very well integrated. Long, lingering finish. Similar to the first bottle. A tribute to the winery.
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3/13/2020 - winelover1808 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Excellent CA Chardonnay. Much stronger tension and acidity than I recall from past Aubert and while the fruit is there, oak is pretty inter grated and low. Perhaps I’ve drunk all of my Auberts too young? This was really enjoyable. Medium plus golden hue. Lemon and pineapple, great acidity. Medium to full bodied and long finish. The lack of minerality and reductive notes tell me it’s not Burgundy but I really liked this.
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1/26/2020 - tcosgriff Likes this wine: 95 Points
Yellow color with a bouquet and flavor of dried apple and pear with some
toast and citrus notes with minerals in the finish. Intense yet nuanced with considerable depth and a long finish. Another win for Aubert.
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12/15/2019 - dkwins Likes this wine: 97 Points
Hard to beat in a chard. Beautifully balanced and full flavored. Ripe fruit with honey and citrus notes. Looking forward to my next bottle!
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8/10/2019 - jsmorris707 Likes this wine: 94 Points
Similar to prior note after a quick double decant; delicious, but need to wait at least another year for my next bottle (it continued to improve throughout a lovely CWG dinner at LB on Las Olas)
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6/9/2019 - whitmanlholt wrote: 91 Points
Popped and poured. This is a light-yellow wine with medium gold aspects on occasion. On the nose, I get beeswax, butter, and some wild flowers. The mouth is fluffy, with some reasonably offsetting freshness, all leaving a slightly floral finish. Overall, this is a nice Chard, albeit one that is not really my style (I like more saline and ocean/marine notes, both of which are not often found in California). It is still nicely rendered and a fine gift from my friend DAF. Drink now. 91 points.
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5/12/2019 - Ex-Ray Likes this wine: 92 Points
With scallops in lemon cream sauce, went perfectly. Mineral nose, some complexity, medium intensity. Good fruit, also French style, some crispness from acidity. None of us liked it as much as Butter Chardonnay, which was bigger, richer, more flavorful, and costs $15 instead of $100.
Ric
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5/1/2019 - dcwino wrote: 94 Points
Jailbreak Wine Dinner - 08 Cristal, 16 PYCM Remilly and etc. (St. Anselm): As usual, a lot of everything. Intense nose displaying ripe yellow fruit with a hint of white, white peach, pear, a hint of match stick, lanoline, sesame and wet stone. Excellent concentration, coiled concentrated yellow fruit, dense and slightly heavy, bright acidity and mineral and a long dense yellow fruit driven finish. This is a big scale concentrated Chardonnay, a typical Aubert profile. I prefer the 14 Aubert Chardonnays which are fresher and slightly less concentrated.
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4/23/2019 - jsmorris707 Likes this wine: 95 Points
PNP, deep gold, lemon with a little tartness on the finish; delicious, drink or preferably hold
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4/18/2019 - csimm wrote: 93 Points
A definite contrast from the Magnum I had of this a year ago. This bottle was (as others have noted) somewhat muted in the fruit department. In fact, the fruit seemed somewhat progressed and overly-advanced given this was "just" a 2013. Vibrancy and verve were fairly lost on my palate this time around. The purity seemed intact, as did the balance, but the overall flavor profile was pedestrian compared to other Laurens I've had (from this vintage and other vintages). Bottle variation and all that hoopla reasoning as to why this occurred? Who knows. It was good, but it wasn't top shelf. Finishes a little hollow and short.
My Nostradamus mystic swamy weatherman fortune cookie advice...... Drink now before the fruit gets even more wonky. Again, this was a good bottle of Chardonnay, and Lauren is usually one of my favorites...but this bottle performed like one I could get at Total Wine for $49.95.
91-93 points, depending at what point during consumption this wine hit me.
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2/24/2019 - dkwins Likes this wine: 94 Points
Not the best Aubert, or Lauren, but still very enjoyable. Just a bit muted, but excellent golden hue and well balanced.
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12/1/2018 - mflesh wrote: 93 Points
Not a 95+ chard. Compared to other Aubert SVD chards, I just think the fruit here is a little more muted. Maybe this means that this chard needs to sit a few years more. Compared to the 2016 SC chard that was opened up, there was less fruit but more complexity. IMO, not a full point of difference. Mango and Asian pear dense. Herbal. Full bodied. A delight as all Aubert chards certainly are. This one will hang on nicely I think, and wondering if 2 or 3 years might do this one well.
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11/17/2018 - Stumpy wrote: 91 Points
This one could use a bit more time to integrate the oak but was still quite enjoyable.
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9/21/2018 - rlove wrote: 90 Points
Sweet tropical fruit, meyer lemon, and oak-derived spice. The palate doesn't follow suit, austere with tart fruit. Finishes with drying tannins. Not the most successful Aubert Lauren vintage but still nice enough.
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8/3/2018 - csimm wrote: 97 Points
Calistoga Inn Restaurant & Brewery - Aubert, Shafer, Bevan, Sea Smoke, Togni, and more... (Calistoga): From Magnum. A phenomenal showing this time around. After about two hours of air and some vigorous swirling in the decanter, this absolutely gorgeous wine kicked-out all sorts of seductive and concentrated flavors.
A yellow citrus core gushing with honey lemon and olive oil notes; fresh vanilla bean, lemon curd, creme brûlée, and subtle travertine rounded out the profile. Less of a mineral driven animal. A vibrant “yellow” wine if there ever was one. Perfectly balanced after a couple hours of decanted air, with an intensity I usually don’t affiliate with Lauren. (Magnum effect?)
Ideally hold for another year, give it some vigorous swirling and decant for a bit. 96-97 points. Gorgeous. One of my top wines of the night (of the 55+ sampled).
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7/22/2018 - Amerique wrote: 94 Points
Less creamy and more acidic than classic Laurens
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7/21/2018 - soyhead wrote:
Nose - custard
Mouth - will start out by saying this is not really my style so take comments with a grain of salt. Rich vanilla, huge bodied, smoke, smoky, mouth coating, Potent -creme brûlée finish, wow, what richness . Yikes! Pair with foil gras, or kettlecorn . Not particularly refreshing. Unclear ( to me ) how this will age.
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7/3/2018 - Schiffy Likes this wine: 95 Points
What a difference a new bottle makes...after trying my first Lauren Chardonnay, this one has more balance and complexity with intense notes of lemon curd, melon and crushed rocks. Steely on the finish with terrific acidity.
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6/20/2018 - rlove wrote: flawed
TCA.
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5/5/2018 - Schiffy Likes this wine: 92 Points
While this Chardonnay has terrific citrus and lemon fruit notes bursting with intensity, it did not have the usual Aubert balance and smoothness that I expect. Nice complexity with additional notes of stone fruit, apple and pear but a mild bite on the finish which is atypical of an Aubert wine.
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2/25/2018 - csimm wrote: 94 Points
Previous notes apply from over a year ago in terms of the specific flavor profile. Not too much has changed with this wine, with notes of high-pitched yellow citrus, lemon grass, quince, white stone fruit, white flowers, and a bit of a bitter chalk note. Bracing acidity that screams for even more time in bottle. 2-3+ years I'm thinking, minimum. This is missing a little of the lovely viscosity and textural unctuousness that many of the other Auberts are able to exude, even in youth. It's just fairly tight overall, even with a couple of hours of decanted air. This behaved more like an Eastside than a Lauren.
I will hold my remaining bottle until at least 2020/2021 if I can help it. Still holding at 94+-ish points, with a good deal of potential upside if this puppy is better able to integrate its acid and broaden its shoulders a bit more.
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2/2/2018 - awise45 wrote: 97 Points
Exceptional. Rich but not heavy, floral and honeysuckle notes, beautiful color.
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1/12/2018 - rcg62 Likes this wine: 95 Points
Great nose. Honeysuckle flowers, pear, green apple. Great wine. Flavors linger, terrific expression.
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11/26/2017 - Griffeyfan04 Likes this wine: 96 Points
Some pretty golden hue to the wine and a good mix of charred pineapple and butterscotch and lemon oil. Great finish that goes on and makes you wanting to come back for another taste
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10/27/2017 - pkpjoe Likes this wine: 93 Points
Good but still young. Lots of bright fruits and acidity. Not a ton of malolactic for aubert. Drink 2018-2028
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7/29/2017 - msuwine Likes this wine: 97 Points
This brilliant Chardonnay combines complexity, power, and grace in a compelling fashion. A lot of CA winemakers can do big fruit, but Aubert has managed to match this richness with just the right amount of acidity. Refreshing without being searing, this wine has a depth and tension that are utterly captivating.
Onto the note: Light yellow in color, full in body, nose of lemon, gooseberry, and brioche. Tastes of grapefruit, lemon meringue, green apple, and vanilla bean, with a finish that goes on and on. 15% alcohol. The oak is present but in a supporting role (something people always say about butter-bombs, but it's true here). Decant for at least an hour, in order to make the wine open up and warm up - a process that, after a few hours, revealed notes of pear, pineapple, and butterscotch.
I've been a fan of Aubert's whites for a while, but I've always felt like I drank them too late or too early; this wine is just right, at least for me. The freshness and exuberance are lovely matches to the weight and ripeness; there is a energy here that is amazing for a wine of this depth. In this way, it is balanced, in the best sense of the word.
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7/28/2017 - Double D wrote: 94 Points
As usual brilliant!
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7/23/2017 - ozziewine Likes this wine: 94 Points
Spot on review from JJYOYO...particularly the "Less opulent..." observation. I've had many Auberts with mixed results and I realize that their opulent, monolithic nature is not my style currently.
This vintage of The Lauren is more graceful and elegant then past Auberts I've had so it appeals to me more.
Great on PnP with one trip through the Vinturi. Spur of the moment thing so didn't have time to, as Mark suggests, stand the bottle up overnight and decant for hours. And it was still great, lending creedence to my belief that a great wine will taste great no matter what you do to it or how it's served (within reason of course).
I suggest serving at 50-55 degrees.
Drinking beautifully now. Not sure that waiting gains you anything, unless you like your Chardonnay on the mature side.
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7/20/2017 - Amerique wrote: 94 Points
Rich, delicious, citrus fruit, pine nut and buttery flavors, not as mind-blowing as the 2012
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6/23/2017 - JJYoyo Likes this wine: 94 Points
Strong minerality and acidity that give it a touch of almost sauvignon blanc on the nose. Also some light citrus aroma. Palate is very structured and balanced, with butterscotch, a little nectarine, and again wet slate. Less opulent than many Laurens I have had but more defined and precise as a consequence. Bouquet and taste are interestingly different. Very full mid-palate so the back seems to show less as a result -- it seems shorter than it really is, so take your time sipping it. So much backbone to this one I think it will last a few more years.
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4/21/2017 - pjgruber wrote: 99 Points
Heaven.
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3/13/2017 - shaferguy91 wrote: 95 Points
Best Chard this year to date.
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2/15/2017 - bestdamncab Likes this wine: 96 Points
Kathy offered me a glass of her Aubert during dinner, nose of Butterscotch, smoke, minerals, white peach, nectarine, and jasmine, same on the palate, medium/big body, complex, lovely, elegant, not quite as big or as rich as previous vintages, long, long finish, auction bottle for $95 and worth it to see Kathy smile as she sipped this chardonnay.
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12/21/2016 - csimm wrote: 94 Points
Lemon, quince, stone, and the faintest hint of alkaline and alcohol on initial PnP. Air time didn't change this much, except that the fruit flavors fanned out a little more with some extra swirling in the glass. Back end was a hair clipped and thin (fruit didn't completely envelop the palate as much as I would've liked); youth seemed to be the culprit.
Viscosity and texture/mouthful were on point. Acid was in near-perfect check as well. Purity of fruit was evident, but it just felt like there wasn't a lot of that good fruit to go around. Lacked some minerality.
Tasted like a lesser version of an Aubert Chardonnay. It was a very well crafted Chardonnay, but not at the level I would want an Aubert to be. A very nice $45-50 type of wine, but at twice the price, I'm not convinced... not yet at least.
Am I being critical? Perhaps, but at this level, there should really be no question as to this wine's would-be superiority. 98+ points from RP seems like a total stretch in my opinion.
93-94+? points for me. Missing a little verve and intensity at this stage, which robbed it of some overall complexity. I'll hold my remaining bottles until 2018+ in hopes the flavors better integrate and fatten up more.
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8/13/2016 - shadow wrote: 98 Points
Slightly chilled to mid fifties, I know, no way to treat a lady, but tonight it works.
First sip, smoked pineapple fades to hints of stone fruit, than back to pineapple.
Last night, went to a special party at a old high end country club.
The trays of fruits, pineapple and cheeses that greeted upon arrival, perfect match for this wine.
The special occasion, an eighth birthday and a fiftieth wedding anniversary.
The slide show showing pic's from their youth, through raising kids and riding Vincents too old and hanging in there parried nicely with the ice cold Stella.
Back to the Aubert.
The acidic butterscotch is wiping out the fruit, but still slides down smoothly, leaves you wanting another sip before you sit the glass down.
Traffic is on the turn table, rain maker rain maker, perfect.
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7/10/2016 - WVWine Likes this wine: 97 Points
Drank from a magnum.
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5/28/2016 - pakabear Likes this wine: 95 Points
This needs a few years, extremely tight, citrus bomb, mineral and salty rock with a creamy finish and good acidity. Built for 10 years aging potential at least, very good but forget it for at least 3 years as its not showing its best right now.
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5/14/2016 - ckellermd wrote: 92 Points
Lauren's never been my favorite Chardonnay. The 13 seemed to lack fruit. Very oaky, with strong acidity.
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1/4/2016 - tp096255 Likes this wine: 92 Points
I like it, but this just isn't what Lauren means to me. It's great that all of the elements keep the alcohol in check, but it seems two dimensional. Good tropical fruits, lemon oil, and lovely jasmine and honeysuckle buds. Some nice smoke wafts in through there, but it's never inviting me for another sip unless I have something to eat (which was an amazing risotto today by the way). Very good Chard, but One of the least amazing Laurens in recent memory.
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10/29/2015 - mactheknife Likes this wine: 95 Points
Great balance between full mouthfeel and acid; in harmony. Citrus notes with honey and brioche giving it fullness. A hint of oak in the background. Wow is the best description for this wine.
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8/19/2015 - smphelps wrote: 94 Points
Pale cloudy gold. Powerful honeyed aromas of pineapple, pear, with nuances of vanilla. Bright, balanced and complex, finishing long and mouthwatering. A striking wine, with the characteristic elegance and mouthfeel of Aubert.
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6/25/2015 - SouthernStateofMind wrote:
Clear, pale/medium lemon in color with pronounced aromas of orange blossom, lemon custard, peach and apricot with hinted notes of candied ginger and roasted nuts. Dry with medium acidity and high alcohol. Pronounced flavors of aforementioned fruit are elegantly presented atop an underlying base minerality. Full bodied with notable viscosity; providing a creamy, softly textured presence on the palate that coats the mouth giving way to long lingering finish. Perceptible oak is here but so beautifully integrated that one barely notices its presence. Delicious now but will certainly drink well for a decade or beyond.
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6/21/2015 - mreinhard74@gmail.com Likes this wine: 94 Points
White peach and apricot over white stone. Think this will evolve some more. Still very very good.
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3/18/2015 - peternelson wrote: 93 Points
Lovely more restrained pear, peach and nectarine notes with light floral-jasmine and lemon curd; ripe but not over-ripe, balanced, medium (+) weight, and a nice minerality of wet rocks; Wear's the high alcohol very well. A clean, crisp, mineral coastal wine (at least that's how it shows after the Napa wines). Never cared for the big Aubert wines--until now.
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