2024 Aubert - Chardonnay Carneros Hudson Vineyard (750ml) [PRE ARRIVAL]

Mark Aubert grew up in St. Helena with farming running through his family, and after graduating college he returned to Napa Valley to pursue winemaking full time. He and his wife, Teresa, founded Aubert Wines in the late 1990s, channeling his obsession with detail and his love of viticulture into a portfolio of single-vineyard Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs. Over three decades the estate has built a reputation as one of the benchmark producers of California Chardonnay, known for pairing rich, generous fruit with genuine freshness and precision.

This bottling comes from the Hudson Vineyard, a storied site along the northern edge of Carneros where thin, rocky soils naturally limit yields from the vineyard's old vines. The cool maritime air drifting in from San Pablo Bay tempers the midday heat, giving the fruit a long, even ripening season. Aubert's approach favors meticulous hand-selection at harvest and careful, low-intervention winemaking in the cellar, aiming to preserve the tension between the site's natural richness and its underlying minerality.

The 2024 vintage opens with notes of Marcona almond, candle wax, and a touch of flinty reduction that give way with air to ripe peach, melon, and salted pineapple rind. The palate is generous yet lifted, framed by bright acidity and a long, saline finish. Its combination of richness and freshness makes it a strong match for roasted salmon, seared scallops, or a triple-cream cheese.