History
CIX is the second estate vineyard Mark Aubert developed; it shares its eastern fence line with Lauren Estate but has a different soil geology. The Chardonnay, Montrachet selection by most accounts, went in around 2008 beside a small block of Pinot Noir, with CIX Chardonnay on the market by the 2011 vintage.
The Site
The vineyard sits on the ridge above Forestville beside Lauren, its very white, sea-salt-like soil unlike the gravelly Goldridge at neighboring Lauren, a difference the two wines are built to express. The wines carry the Sonoma Coast appellation.
Vines and Blocks
Mostly Chardonnay in Montrachet clone with a small planting of Pinot Noir.
The Wines
CIX Estate Chardonnay, around 1,200 cases, is the mineral, saline foil to Lauren's opulence, with a rare estate Pinot Noir alongside; both are among the hardest allocations in California Chardonnay.