Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
From Carneros, the 2008 Chardonnay Larry Hyde and Sons Vineyard is the most tropical fruit-scented Aubert offering, and it reveals more bold hues to its straw/green color. A dense nose of marmalade, nectarines and tropical fruit (pineapple) is followed by full-bodied, intense flavors and a stony minerality that emerges with coaxing. This is a big, bold, California-styled Chardonnay to enjoy over the next 5-7 years.
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Wine Spectator
Fresh, rich, intense and vibrant, with a deep concentration of flavors built around firm apple, pear, honeysuckle and spice. The flavors fan out nicely on the long, persistent finish.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
Known for elegant wines that combine power and finesse, Carneros is set in the rolling hills that straddle the southernmost parts of both Sonoma and Napa counties. The cooling winds from the abutting San Pablo Bay, combined with lots of midday California sunshine, create an ideal environment for producing wines with a perfect balance of crisp acidity and well-ripened fruit.
This cooler pocket of California lends itself to growing Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Syrah. Carneros is an important source of sparkling wines made in the style of Champagne as well.