Aubert Chardonnay Russian River Valley Eastside Vineyard 2021 1.5L

98-100 points Lisa Perrotti-Brown (The Wine Independent): "The 2021 Chardonnay Eastside was tasted as a tank sample, due to be bottled in December 2022. It comes barreling out with bold notes of fresh peaches, lime cordial, and orange blossom with touches of crushed rocks, toasted almonds, and honeysuckle. The full-bodied palate delivers compelling tension with taut, tightly knit layers, culminating in a wonderfully exotic, pineapple and guava-laced finish. This comes from a warmer site, in Russian River, usually the second to be picked (after Sugar Shack). It is planted to the Montrachet clone on very rocky, gravelly soils, where the vines really struggle. Drink: 2023-2039. (9/21/22)"

97 points James Suckling: "This shows a seductive oily texture with pineapple, lime, lemon, cooked apple, and a little brioche. Some green mango. Lots of minerality. Full-bodied. Layered with amazing acidity. A very contrasting wine with richness and liveliness. Drink or hold. (12/11/22)"

95-97 points Joe Czerwinski (Wine Advocate): "From a somewhat warmer site on thin, volcanic soils overlooking the Russian River, Eastside—originally a collaboration between Ulises Valdez and Mark Aubert—features a Montrachet selection planted on riparia rootstock. Despite plenty of new French oak in the élevage, there's only a faintly fumé, crushed-stone character on the nose, which nicely sets off the wine's white peach and lime notes. Full-bodied and generous but sturdily built, with an imposing structure, the 2021 Chardonnay Eastside is powerful and long on the finish. The crop was virtually wiped out by a spring frost in 2020, but the vines rebounded in 2021, yielding 1,400 cases. Drink: 2023-2033. (12/30/22)"

95-97 points Antonio Galloni (Vinous): "The 2021 Chardonnay Eastside Vineyard marries textural richness and vibrancy in grand style. There's terrific energy here, the result of poor, stressed soils that naturally limit yields. Bright acids and veins of minerality drive this focused Chardonnay. Citrus, orchard fruit, ginger and light tropical accents build into the intensely saline finish. Superb. Drink: 2025-2036. (Jan 2023)"

Producer notes: "The 2021 Eastside is a wine of focus and purity that offers a glimpse into the thin, rocky soils of this unique site through its hallmark minerality. The wine leaps from the glass with potent aromas of lime cordial, lemon zest, and golden apple crumble. This is a wine of tension and grace that slowly unfurls in the glass to reveal a complex array of citrus and orchard fruit suspended above a nervy mineral backbone. The stony character, driving acidity, and rich texture foretell of a wine that will age gracefully for decades to come. Enjoy over the next 10 to 15 years."