2017 Aubert, Sugar Shack, Sonoma County, Bottle (750ml)

JS99 "This is very structured and powerful with Montrachet sensibility. Apple and dried pineapple character. Full body. Dense and layered. Almost chewy. Superb structure. Tight and real. Textural. Drink or hold." JS Dec 2019

RP98 "The 2017 Chardonnay Sugar Shack is produced from Montrachet clone vines grown in Rutherford (Napa Valley). POW! It comes charging out of the glass, all guns blazing! Notes of lemon tart, lime cordial and preserved pineapples leap from the glass, followed by suggestions of chopped cashews, coriander seed, juniper and aniseed. Full-bodied, the palate has a seductively satiny texture and soft acidity, leading with bold, expressive stone fruit preserves and spicy layers, finishing very long and very decadent." LPB for TWA Oct 2019

Lisa Perrotti-Brown for RobertParker.com, "“2017 was incredibly stressful—it was a very rapid-fire harvest after the Labor Day heat,” recalled Mark Aubert. “The finished wines are just so intense.” Aubert had finished picking well before the fires in 2017. In fact, the Sugar Shack vineyard in Rutherford—usually the first vineyard to come in—was being harvested during my visit in late August that year, and so it missed even the Labor Day heat wave. Harvest continued for about four weeks. The winery was closed up tight during the fires to prevent smoke infiltration. Power went off for about an hour, but they have a back-up generator." Published: Oct 31, 2019