Napa Valley born and bred, Mark Aubert made his name at some of the region’s finest producers. His big break aged just 28 was taking over from Helen Turley at Peter Michael – before he took over from Turley a second time, this time when she left Colgin. Under Turley he learned much of his winemaking craft and within the Peter Michael estate was able to work with some of the finest Chardonnay and Pinot grown on the West Coast, fuel for his future ambitions. Burgundy-obsessive Mark was wildly driven by the belief that he could find ‘Grand Cru’ sites for Chardonnay in Sonoma and certain parts of Napa, and working hand-in-hand not only with his wife Teresa but Ulises Valdez (considered by many to be the finest grape grower in Sonoma) he has set about doing just that. He now farms 9 estates, 3 of which are Aubert-owned and the other 6 of which are managed by Valdez, and each is planted and managed plot by plot, clone by clone, and harvested and fermented piece by piece in order to maximise the potential for each vineyard site. Quite simply they are extraordinary wines, Grand Cru Burgundy with a megaphone – but without losing any of the essential stunning mineral quality and intense freshness one looks for from great Chardonnay.