Womp womp... Disappointment TN:2017 Aubert Larry Hyde & Sons Chardonnay

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.

As you say, you satisfied your curiosity. Like you prefer a cooler expression of Chardonnay.

I’d always been curious about Aubert chards but didn’t want to pay the tariff on something that I wasn’t going to enjoy. Years ago was a birthday dinner with a friend who enjoys riper wines, and gave it a go.

It was either a Hyde or Richey but I don’t remember the vintage. It was similar to your description here except I think the alcohol was lower, as was the oak.

I actually enjoyed it more than I thought. But your note about “Mexican Flan” - I get that, and that’s not something that I’d seek out again.

But now we know!

Aubert’s Chardonnays are certainly not for those who enjoy a cooler climate expression, but I will say that Larry & Hyde is probably one of their offerings I would steer people away from when trying their first Aubert. While Lauren and CIX are my favorites, they are powerful and need time. UV-SL and Eastside are probably more ideal when giving Aubert a go, but not ideal enough to trend toward cooler climate style.

One thing that is challenging when trying wine is the bottling and vintage, especially when trying a producer that makes a number of different wines from different sites. It’s always possible that you won’t like a producer that is highly rated. For my palate, I did find the 18 to be pretty good. I tend to prefer wines with low abv and acid driven. I tend to stick to their Sonoma coast vineyards. Not a major Chardonnay drinker but aubert are a good standard of quality CA Chardonnay’s that are not too lean nor too oaky.

Come on…you buy a California chardonnay with 15+ ABV, 100 New Oak, and pop it two years after release…what do you expect? I love my Auberts BUT never with less than 5 or 6 years of bottle age…preferably closer to 10 years. These wines evolve over time with the oak integrating and the alcohol stepping back from it’s primary position. With maturity these wines luxuriate in the glass and show their preferred multi-faceted nature.

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Did you let the wine breathe or did you PNP? What temp did you serve it at? Did you serve it on the warmer side?

Like you, Noah, I’m always trying to explore new producers, styles, etc. There’s so much to learn about wine as evident by the great knowledge here on the boards. As Steve mentioned above, you did try a new-ish release from this producer and it’s already a high alcohol wine.

My strategy is to try to find an older vintage from a producer on Benchmark or another site so I can try a properly cellared and age representation of a producer. That way I can see what the wine tastes like in peak or close to peak. Personally I don’t have the patience to buy a new release of a wine, let it breathe for many hours or a day, and then try it.

Earlier in my wine journey I would drink newer releases from producers instead of being patient and waiting for the wine to come together after a few years. Wasted a lot of money and wine doing this, but it’s a learning process, right?

I’ve yet to try Aubert, but if I were to try a bottle I would go to CT and look at recent reviews of older vintages. I just checked for Aubert Larry Hyde on CT and seems like the 2014 and 2015 are drinking well and have recent positive reviews. When I look at reviews, I also see if CT users PnP or mention letting it breathe for a couple of hours. This helps me understand if I buy and open the bottle if I should PNP or let it breathe. Both 14 and 15 seems available for purchase from Wine Retailers in various states.

Anyways, I just wanted to provide some tips and learnings that I wish I had done earlier in my wine journey. I consume a lot of content and knowledge here on WB, so wanted to pay it forward. Also, thank you for starting those great threads on different regions and producers-- some really great discussions and knowledge on them!

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I tried it as PnP but then put it in the decanter and let it evolve over 6 hrs or so. I initially served it at a little below cellar temp, but found it so “hot” that I put it in the fridge and cooled it down a bit more. I experimented by letting it warm up a bit more, putting it back in the fridge…I think my favorite temp was around 50.

Good points by everyone here. Probably the wine was too young and maybe not from the best vineyard site for my tastes and lack of Aubert experience. I chose this particular bottle because it was a (reasonably) good deal on Benchmark and CT reviews were absolutely glowing. I knew the wine was young, but the reviews made it seems like it would be a good time to open it. Maybe I was wrong.

Also, without any prior Aubert experience, I don’t really know anything about the different vineyards. Again, I got Larry Hyde and Sons because of the lowish price and excellent reviews. I doubt I’ll but another Aubert for a little while, but when I do, I’ll take your advice and go for a bottle with a little more age and maybe from UV-SL or Eastside.

15.2 alc is a bruiser?lol, different strokes. you don’t like the style, oh well. you’re not the first or the 100th person to think aubert is too big. there’s plenty of 13.4 alc chards for you.

Sounds like you tried everything to let it open up a bit and not have as much heat on the finish. You mentioned you like more Sonoma Coast (cooler site) chards. Have you tried any of the Rivers-Marie single vineyard Chards? Less alcohol and might be more your style. [cheers.gif]

Is Carneros a warm climate region?

Generally, no, it is not warm, Carneros gets direct cooling and windy weather from the San Pablo Bay.

Though Carneros does span across both the southern ends of Napa and Sonoma Valleys, so I doubt it can be reduced to one meso- or microclimate.

There are several other factors to keep in mind:

  • Carneros soils tend be heavier and rich in clay, though again that is a broad generalization. The soil has some indirect impact, but I’m not sure if/how that might apply in this particular case.
  • It’s probably not quite as cool as the ‘newer’ appellations like the the ‘true’ Sonoma Coast that are more or less right on the ocean.
  • A cool climate can still allow for long hang time. While acidity tends to be preserved, the sugars can accumulate substantially up to harvest, and unless there are storms in the fall, nature may not force the harvest date too much.

Thanks, Greg. I agree.

I was struck by the tasting note about this being a warmer climate chard.


Interestingly, though, there are now Carneros Cabernet and Merlot wines, so times may be changing!

With younger Aubert, I always use a slow-ox approach, assuming you have the time. Pop, let breath for 10mins or so, then refrigerate for 24-48 hours. That extra O2 really makes a difference IMO.

Merlot is one of the few varieties that does well in clay-heavy soils. From that perspective, Merlot is a potential fit for Carneros.

Southern Napa and Bordeaux have similar heat summation indices, so the right exposures/microclimates in the overall cooler Carneros AVA should align to Bordeaux reds. Though perhaps not in the super-opulent cult Cab style.

Generally Cabernet is grown in much warmer regions in California (Napa) than elsewhere in the world. Much of the northern end of Napa might do well with Mourvedre, Aglianico, Nerello Mascalese or Touriga Nacionale–but the Napa Cab brand is so strong and the dry port style so high priced that such a pivot seems unlikely.

More likely is growth of premium Cab southward, where the bay influence can better mediate climate change.

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Agreed that I would recommend a revisit some day, but not the Larry Hyde. I’m starting to drink my 2012s and love them with a bit of air. Of all the bottlings, the Larry Hyde is least to my taste from this maker, and I do miss the old Quarry vintages which I thought had a wonderful minerality and clarity and were more “French” in style. I think the most consistently liked is the Lauren, so that would be my recommendation, but certainly CIX or Sugar Shack or the others would be on par in quality. Do go for one with age, let it settle for a couple of weeks and decant for sediment if you see any. Eager to hear if it is a better experience…

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I’ve had mature Winery Lake Vyd Merlot that was fantastic!

For Chards like this it’s the site that allows producers to push ripeness to absurdities and make a big, oaky wine with a center that allows it to age well. But, from the traditionally ripe Carneros Chards and Pinots I’ve had at peak maturity, I wouldn’t be doing goofy stuff like that. So many “true” Sonoma Coast PNs push ripeness because they can and end up with a flat sameness. A dull signature, a loss of aromatics and core acidity, that make them about the easiest wines to identify blind. Bigger isn’t always better, but YMMV. Not Aubert, but I’ve had Hyde Hyde Vyd Chard over 15% that was quite rich and expressive with a good core acidity holding it together. Enjoyable and not at all tiring to drink (like most wines in that range would be for me). It certainly got fumey and showed heat when too warm, so that’s something to avoid. But, I “get it”, even if it’s not my thing.

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Hard NOT to be disappointed at the price.

Thanks for charting your journey with the wine, Noah, great exposition of your experience. Aubert used to be my reference point. It’s not anymore, but for me I don’t think that’s in any way a reflection on the quality level of the wines. Much more a swing in my taste preference–specifically to more acid, racy and minerally stuff that focuses on Santa Cruz—Rhys, Mt. Eden, Kutch, Model Farm have sort of spoiled me :slight_smile:

That said, Steve and others are right about ageing. Back in 2012 I did a vertical of Ritchie and the 2002, no foolin’ smelled and tasted like a Chevalier Montrachet and was my WOTY that year.

Salud

Mike