Winemaker Notes
The 2015 Lauren Estate Chardonnay is the quintessential Aubert Chardonnay: rich, ripe and irresistible. Please note the greenish hue on the edge of the glass, which is indicative of the health of the wine. Complex aromas of bergamot, lemon custard and petrichor. Flavors of mandarin orange, bergamot and lime oil are a veritable citrus circus on the palate. In spite of the great acidity the wine remains lush and long. The wine is slightly hazy showing our commitment to minimal intervention winemaking.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2015 Chardonnay Lauren Estate, from 17-year-old vines of primarily the Old Wente and Mt. Eden clones (but in the famous Goldridge soils that are so vital in the Russian River Valley), was the slowest to ferment, although it offers great acids, loads of nectarine and tangerine, honeysuckle, white currants, and no evidence of the 100% new oak it was aged in. This is another sensational effort, and like most Laurens will probably age for 10-15 or more years.
Range: 97-100 -
James Suckling
Lots of white pepper, stone and dried apples on the nose. Full body, oily and round with lots of delicious fruit. Juicy character.
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Wine Spectator
Rich and creamy, elegant and refined, with a complex mix of fig-tinged citrus, green apple, honeydew, ginger cookie and spicy oak flavors. Ends with a touch of pithy citrus skin and excellent length.
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.
A vast appellation covering Sonoma County’s Pacific coastline, the Sonoma Coast AVA runs all the way from the Mendocino County border, south to the San Pablo Bay. The region can actually be divided into two sections—the actual coastal vineyards, marked by marine soils, cool temperatures and saline ocean breezes—and the warmer, drier vineyards further inland, which are still heavily influenced by the Pacific but not quite with same intensity.
Contained within the appellation are the much smaller Fort Ross-Seaview and Petaluma Gap AVAs.
The Sonoma Coast is highly regarded for elegant Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and, increasingly, cool-climate Syrah. The wines have high acidity, moderate alcohol, firm tannin, and balanced ripeness.