Aubert Ritchie Vineyard Chardonnay 2013
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
From the oldest vines that Aubert works with, the 2013 Chardonnay Ritchie Vineyard is made from the old Wente clone favored by so many of the top winemakers for Chardonnay. It boasts the wet rocks and candied citrus, the white peach and pineapple notes, has a strong green hue to the light gold color, and a full-bodied, powerful finish. It is a ten-year wine at the minimum.
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Wine Spectator
Pure, rich and vibrant, with a sleek build and a tight mix of green apple, citrus, mineral and melon flavors, ending with a juicy aftertaste. A sleek beam of zesty fruit makes this striking. Drink now through 2020.
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Mark Aubert’s Sonoma Coast vineyard-designate Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs have risen in popularity at a dizzying speed. Aubert’s career in winemaking began in 1989 at Peter Michael under the tutelage of Helen Turley, which led to his time at Colgin, Sloan, Futo and then Bryant Family, before founding Aubert Wines with his wife Teresa in 1999. His wines express the essence of singular terroirs with an effortless grace. Mark crafts the wines of Aubert to speak to a variety of wine lovers with one thing in common – selective palates that expect nothing but the best.
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
Home to a diverse array of smaller AVAs with varied microclimates and soil types, Sonoma County has something for every wine lover. Physically twice as large as Napa Valley, the region only produces about half the amount of wine but boasts both tremendous quality and variety. With its laid-back atmosphere and down-to-earth attitude, the wineries of Sonoma are appreciated by wine tourists for their friendliness and approachability. The entire county intends to become a 100% sustainable winegrowing region by 2019.
Sonoma County wines are produced with carefully selected grape varieties to reflect the best attributes of their sites—Dry Creek Valley’s consistent sunshine is ideal for Zinfandel, while the warm Alexander Valley is responsible for rich, voluptuous red wines like Cabernet Sauvignon. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir are important throughout the county, most notably in the cooler AVAs of Russian River, Sonoma Coast and Carneros. Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot and Syrah have also found a firm footing here.