Lot Overview
- Region: 100% Napa Carneros (Hudson Vineyard, single vineyard)
- Vintage: 2024
- Varietal: 100% Chardonnay
- Oak Aging: 60% new French oak, 16 months
- Alcohol: 14.5%, pH 3.5, TA 6.7 g/L, Malic 0.33 g/L, Lactic 1.33 g/L
- Cases Available: 155
- Cam Price: ~$12.50/bottle ($149/case)
- Retail Estimate: ~$197/bottle
- Claude’s Source Guess: Aubert Wines — Hudson Vineyard Chardonnay, Carneros (Mark Aubert, winemaker)
- Wine Berserkers Guess:
- Drink Window: 2026–2038 (peak 2028–2034)
Cameron’s Release Notes
Lot 91 2024 Napa Carneros is a gorgeous Chardonnay sourced from the legendary Hudson Vineyard and produced by an absolute legend of a winemaker. Barrel-aged for 16 months in 60% new French oak, it features a gorgeous bouquet and incredible creamy mouthfeel combined with mouthwatering complexity. Hugely broadly appealing with mid-90s scores, it commands a six-figure price point and can be yours today for just $149/case. *Hudson Vineyard not the producer.
Tasting Notes
Pale/medium gold in the glass. Features an expressive bouquet of succulent citrus blossoms, ripe Fuji apple, nectarine and Meyer lemon enveloped in toasted caramel notes. Succulent, juicy and open-knit on entry with a ripe-yet-energetic, creamy texture backed by ample chalky minerality coated with creamsicle, orchard fruit and butterscotch notes. Lipsmackingly good with delicious viscosity and mouthwatering structure — uber-classy yet utterly delicious. The mouthfeel alone is worth the price of entry.
⏳ Bottle Shock Status: Allow late 2026 minimum — 16 months in 60% new oak needs integration time post-bottling.
Claude’s Source Guess: Aubert Wines — Hudson Vineyard Chardonnay, Napa Carneros (Mark Aubert, winemaker)
Mark Aubert is one of California’s most celebrated Chardonnay producers — trained by the reclusive Helen Turley at Peter Michael, then stints at Colgin Estate and Tom Futo’s Oakville operation before founding his own label. His Hudson Vineyard Chardonnay is among Carneros’s most acclaimed bottlings, consistently earning 95-97 points from major critics. The 2024 vintage scored 96 points from James Suckling and 95-97 from Vinous, retailing at approximately $197 — firmly in “six-figure price point” territory and squarely in the “mid-90s scores” range Cam cites.
Mark Aubert’s signature style — oily viscosity, caramel and spice from extended new oak aging, chalky minerality from Hudson’s volcanic and Haire clay-loam soils — matches Cam’s tasting note descriptors with remarkable precision. “Creamsicle, orchard fruit, butterscotch, chalky minerality, viscosity” is essentially the Aubert vocabulary that appears across dozens of critic reviews. The 16-month barrel aging in 60% new French oak is consistent with Aubert’s documented élevage protocol.
The 155-case lot is slightly unusual for Aubert’s Hudson program (the 2023 vintage was 652 cases), but Cam’s lot represents a small allocation from the overall production — consistent with how surplus or specific barrel selections have appeared across the CAM X catalog from other high-production premium wineries.
✅ Confidence: Very High — Hudson Vineyard confirmed by Cam, $197 retail confirmed, 95-97 mid-90s scores confirmed, Mark Aubert’s “absolute legend” winemaker status confirmed, tasting note vocabulary matches Aubert’s documented style precisely.
Drink Window
Early: Late 2026 — 60% new oak over 16 months needs integration time.
Peak: 2028–2034. Aubert Hudson Chardonnay consistently peaks 4–10 years from vintage.
Hold: 2038. The 6.7 TA and structure support a solid decade.
My Call: ⏳ Drink window: Late 2026–2038 (peak 2028–2034)