My first Aubert Chardonnay. I’ve heard so much buzz about this producer that I admittedly came in with very high expectations. It’s well made, in a nice place, but this style just is not for me. I understand the very high scores on CellarTracker, but I didn’t really enjoy it myself.
First of all, this is a bruiser of a wine at ABV=15.2%; YIKES! It pours a pale gold, with just the tiniest hint of cloudiness. I busted out my fancy Riedel Sommelier Grand Cru Burgundy stems for this and swirling around that big bowl shows how concentrated, thick, viscous this wine is with thick tears.
The aromas are those of a warm climate Chardonnay made in a style to emphasize that warm climate- tropical fruits, esp pineapples, dominate the nose, along with mandarin oranges, kiwi, lychee, banana, and a sort of sloppy gob of vanilla on top. The wine tastes just like it smells; a big mix of tropical fruits, medium amount of acidity, along with vanilla and coconut from the oak. Even though the wine is not noticeably sweet-tasting, I’m reminded of a rich Mexican flan dessert. Reading through the CellarTracker notes, it seems like I am in the minority to think that the oak is overdone here. The finish is quite long, enjoyable for the most part except for the noticeable alcohol burn- it’s definitely there but reasonably subtle, in fact less than I would expect at over 15%.
Along with Sonoma Coast Pinots, California Chardonnays are what initially got me initially into wine. But I personally am not a fan of these gigantic examples, preferring instead the lighter “cooler” styles. I know there are wines out there that are gigantic-er, but I already know that I won’t enjoy those. Reading reviews, I was hoping that Aubert would strike a nice balance for me, but personally I found this too far on the side of overblown, over extracted, just too much. I can’t think of a single wine, other than maybe a port, that I’ve enjoy that is over 15% alcohol. Given my taste, I should have known better when buying this. But at least now my curiosity is satisfied (I’ve been wanting to try Aubert for a long time), and I should count my blessings that I won’t be chasing these expensive bottles.