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2021 Aubert CIX Estate Pinot Noir

Removed from a professional wine storage facility; Purchased direct from winery

Removed from a professional wine storage facility; Purchased direct from winery

Ends Sunday, 7pm Pacific

RATINGS

98James Suckling

Very dark fruit here with blackberries, blueberries, salt, mineral, and dark earth. Tile. Full-bodied, with tight and polished tannins. Super depth and structure. Great wine. One for the cellar. Better after 2025

97Vinous / IWC

...fabulous. Rich, deep and explosive, the 2021 possesses striking inner perfume and brilliant fruit. Sweet red cherry, plum, spice and pomegranate build into the heady, sumptuous finish. Goldridge soils over volcanic ash are magical here. What a wine.

95+ The Wine Advocate

...made in a surprisingly delicate and leaner style. Raspberry fruit predominates, accented by attractive sous-bois complexity in this bright, spicy effort. Medium-bodied, silky and crisp, it finishes long and softly dusty, with great length.

PRODUCER

Aubert

Aubert Wines produces what many consider California’s first “cult Chardonnay.” Mark Aubert is the owner and operator of the Calistoga-based winery, and his single-vineyard Chardonnays are regularly compared to Grand Cru Burgundies. Aubert, who grew up in Napa Valley and worked as the winemaker for Peter Michael and Colgin, bought seven acres of Chardonnay vineyards in the Sonoma Coast AVA in 2000. Since then he has also planted Pinot Noir in western Sonoma County. Robert M. Parker Jr. has written that “it is hard to find better Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs than those created by Mark Aubert under his Aubert label.” Production is extremely limited and the Aubert wines are generally available only through the winery’s mailing list.

REGION

United States, California, Sonoma, Sonoma Coast

Sonoma Coast AVA runs from San Pablo Bay in the south to Mendocino County in the north. It includes 7,000 vineyard acres and earned AVA status in 1987. Its proximity to the Pacific Ocean means it gets double the rainfall of nearby inland appellations and the ocean gives the appellation a relatively cool climate. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir can thrive in these conditions, and there are numerous producers making critically acclaimed Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

TYPE

Red Wine, Pinot Noir

This red wine is relatively light and can pair with a wide variety of foods. The grape prefers cooler climates and the wine is most often associated with Burgundy, Champagne and the U.S. west coast. Regional differences make it nearly as fickle as it is flexible.