Team C&J
To say that the dynamic winemaking team of Anthony Aubert and Jean-Charles Mathieu of Aubert et Mathieu Milo wines is unique is an understatement. We had the chance to try their 2019 Aubert & Mathieu Milo Minervois La Livinière.
Wine lovers started taking notice of young winemakers Anthony Aubert and Jean-Charles Mathieu of Aubert et Mathieu Milo wines when the Decanter World Wine Awards awarded their 2019 Aubert & Mathieu Milo Minervois La Livinière an astounding 97-point score. They gained even more attention when none other than Jancis Robinson began reviewing their wines.
Anthony Aubert and Jean-Charles Mathieu, friends since high school, lost touch after leaving school but serendipitously reconnected and discovered they both had a passion for wine and terroir-driven wines of southern France. Their first vintage of Aubert et Mathieu Milo wines was bottled in 2016 and released in 2019 to warm praise. Bottles from the new producer soon found themselves in some of Paris’ trendiest restaurants, wine bars, and bistros, whose patrons loved the carefree labels and the bold but balanced take on Languedoc-Roussillon wines.
The pair also makes Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and several other G-S-M blends, all from the Languedoc-Roussillon.
Like many newcomers to the wine industry, Anthony and Jean-Charles prioritize sustainability in the vineyard but also on the production side of things. Each piece of the winemaking process is carefully analyzed, with the goal of creating a wine that is from organic vineyards – or transitioning to organic and carbon neutral.
In addition to encouraging growers to plant trees around their vineyards to boost biodiversity and building beehives to encourage pollination of nearby wildflowers, the pair also source recycled glass bottles for their juice, which are lighter than new glass. Because a significant amount of a wine brand’s carbon footprint is tied to transportation, whether by air, sea, or ground, this minor change has an outsized influence on sustainability.
In the spring of 2023, Jean-Charles and Anthony made headlines in the wine world when they claimed to have crafted the world’s first A.I. designed wine with the help of ChatGPT.
How did this process unfold? ChatGPT was asked to create “an exceptional, fruity vinified organic wine from the Languedoc region with the grape varieties Grenache and Syrah”.
In addition to this, they asked the A.I. what the wine should be called, how it should be bottled, and what to price the wine.
As Anthony explained in a recent interview, “The answers on vinification and blending according to the characteristics of the grape varieties – color, tannins, fruit – are amazing.”
Anthony further explained, “according to the instructions, they combined 60% Grenache and 40% Syrah, which normally make a fruity and balanced wine, but you can reverse the proportions to get a more tannic wine.”
ChatGPT also suggested that a Burgundy bottle be used to show that the wine was of excellent quality and that the retail price should fall between $50 to $100 a bottle. Thankfully, the winemakers did not heed this advice, and IGP cuvée Pays d’Oc “The End” is reasonably priced at $20.
Minervois La Livinière is an appellation in the Languedoc-Roussillon region of southern France that is known for its Mediterranean climate and garrigue land.
Minervois La Livinière is Syrah country, and the wines here are known for their bold palates that are ripe with dark fruit and herbaceous qualities. Red blends from Minervois La Livinière must contain at least 60% Syrah. The remaining blend can be composed of Grenache and Mourvedre, the most popular blending grapes, but Carignane and Cinsault are also permitted.
Carignane and Cinsault, both of which are native to Languedoc-Roussillon, can be no more than 40% of these blends.
The 2019 Aubert & Mathieu Milo Minervois La Livinière is a mix of 70% Syrah, 10% Carignan, 10% Grenache, 10% Mourvedre.
Minervois La Livinière was granted appellation status in 1999.
The aromatics in the 2019 Aubert & Mathieu Milo Minervois La Livinière are the wine’s defining feature. The bouquet is like stepping into an orchard or a spice cabinet. You’re immediately hit with concentrated notes of prune, cherry, and boysenberry. The cigar box is intense and hard to miss. Waves of black pepper, meat, and a nice smokiness are the giveaway that this wine is 70% Syrah.
On the palate, this Syrah blend has a ripe freshness, taunt tannins, and lively prune, plum, and boysenberry fruit. Cigar box and pepper complement the dark fruit. This wine from Aubert et Mathieu offers a new take on a respected wine region while staying true to the characteristics that define Minervois La Livinière’s delightful red wines.
France
Minervois
Red Blend
14.5
Anthony Aubert & Jean-Charles Mathieu
62–68°F / 16–20°C
Burgundy
30 Minutes
Now to 2029
Aubert et Mathieu
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