While Aubert Chardonnay has long been one of my favorites, I had never done a proper comparison tasting - until Friday night! . Mark Aubert has made world-class Chardonnay for more than two decades! He starts with top notch Chardonnay and then uses Burgundian winemaking techniques - malolactic fermentation, aging in French oak barrels and batonnage (stirring of the lees in the barrel). The results are truly special! . The wine lineup included four single-vineyard Chardonnays - 2014 Larry Hyde & Sons; 2014 Sugar Shack; 2015 Hudson; and 2018 CIX. These full-bodied wines benefit from air, so I aerated them for an hour before digging in. . This was my first experience with Larry Hyde and it will not be my last! An intriguing kaleidoscope of tropical notes pineapple, apricot, guava, lemon, peach were joined by marzipan and honeysuckle. This wine is in a great spot now, but there is certainly no rush to drink it. . Next up was 2014 Sugar Shack. This wine stood out because it is the only Aubert Chardonnay from Napa (Rutherford). Due to Napa’s warmer temperatures, this wine had the most ripe, intense tropical fruit of the lineup as well as beguiling butterscotch notes and a super long finish! This wine did not evolve as much in the glass and may not require as much aeration. . From Carneros, the 2015 Hudson was my wine of the night! It immediately seduced me with a flinty minerality that reminded me of a Corton-Charlemagne. This minerality combined with pear, lemon, peach, pineapple, citrus blossom, marzipan, and hints of smoke and a long, complex finish! This wine is rich and powerful, yet balanced. Really a fantastic wine! . While young, the 2018 CIX more than held its own! This wine benefited the most from air and kept improving the longer it was opened. While it will certainly continue to develop with age, it was a joy to taste now. . Swipe left to see cool pics of the punt. . . . . #markaubert #aubert #aubertwines #chardonnay #chardonnayday #chardonnayallday #chardonnaywine #whitewine #whitewinelover #itsfromnapa #sonomawine #californiawine #winelineup #winemaker #whitewines (at Dallas, Texas) https://www.instagram.com/p/CAAnxw8H6gh/?igshid=1oetz57yc2v6
