2008 Chardonnay Lauren

When I am tasting with Mark Aubert, it always seems to be that his personal favorite is the Lauren Vineyard. The 2008 Chardonnay Lauren Vineyard is a big, dense wine that tastes like concentrated lemon and citrus oils intermixed with quince, honeysuckle and white flowers. Drop in a few pebbles and gravel and you have a full-bodied, beautifully textured, dense, powerful Chardonnay that admirably matches finesse with a larger than life size. This 2008 should drink well for a decade. Mark Aubert’s brilliant Chardonnays continue to place this winery in California’s top Chardonnay hierarchy, sharing the same rarified air as Marcassin, Kongsgaard, Peter Michael, Luc Morlet, Kistler, Hartford Court and DuMol. These cool climate, usually hillside sites on the Sonoma Coast are cropped low, the wines are fermented in new French oak and bottled without fining or filtration. I am on Aubert’s mailing list, and while I never seem to have enough wines to age very long, a recent tasting of his 2004s revealed them to still be in splendid condition. With a few noteworthy exceptions, aging California Chardonnay beyond a decade is a fool’s game, but certain older Marcassin and Mt. Eden Chardonnays have impressively stood the test of time. I am sure Aubert’s would also, but who can defer their gratification that long? Tel. (707) 963-4569; Fax (707) 963-4322

(15.8% alcohol) Bright yellow. More leesy complexity on the nose than the Hyde & Sons is showing today, along with aromas of stone and citrus fruits, baking spices and green tea. A step up in richness and depth, but with captivating lemony lift to the glyceral flavors of beeswax and pear. Finishes long and suave, with firm acids giving the wine excellent grip and lift.