Owner/proprietor Mark Aubert is a resident of Napa Valley, where his parents owned a vineyard. With a degree from UC Fresno, he worked under the tutelage of the legendary winemaker Helen Turley at Peter Michael Vineyards and subsequently at Colgin Cellars. He had also consulted for Bryant Family, Futo and Sloan “cult” wineries. His namesake brand launched in 1999 with his vineyard-designated Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays. There are four Pinot Noirs: CIX, Reuling, Ritchie, Sonoma Coast and UV-SL Vineyard and eight single vineyard Chardonnays: CIX, Eastside, Larry Hyde & Sons, Lauren, Ritchie, Sugar Shack, UV and UV-SL. All are worth seeking. Standouts are the stunning Eastside Chardonnay, from a vineyard planted to a Montrachet clone. Intense, delineated and precise, it delivers plenty of tropical and stone fruit, and is inherently age-worthy. Pinot Noir from UV vineyard, owned and farmed by Ulysses Valdez, planted to Calera and Vosne-Romanee clones, is an embarrassment of riches. Wealth of black and blue fruit, earth and exotic spice gives way to a long-lasting finish. (IT)
