Aperture Cellars
Aperture Cellars champions a range of stunning Cabernet Sauvignon-based reds and Sauvignon Blancs, from the Sonoma Valley. Founded in 2009 by winemaker Jesse Katz, Aperture wines are crafted from unique, cool-climate vineyards in Sonoma’s top regions. Wanting to craft wines on par with the quality and refinement that are so integral to the Bordeaux Château that inspired him, Jesse set roots in Sonoma, believing it offers the best of both worlds: California intensity and Old World elegance.
- Region: Sonoma & Anderson Valley
- Winery Location: Russian River Valley
- Owner: Andy and Jesse Katz
- First Vintage: 2009
- Winemaker: Jesse Katz
Story
The story of Aperture Cellars began over two decades ago, when Jesse was growing up. His father, renowned photographer Andy Katz, brought him on visits to the most famous vineyards around the world, from the heart of Burgundy to the hills of Tuscany. Each wine label features an original Andy Katz photograph, demonstrating every Aperture wine as an expression of art both inside the bottle and out. Over two decades of harvests learning from the best producers in the world — Château Pétrus, Screaming Eagle, Viña Cobos, Bodega Noemia, and more — led to the birth of Aperture Cellars in 2009.
Vineyards
Jesse’s mission for Aperture is to find the top cool-climate spots around California for his beloved Bordeaux varieties to thrive in. For the Cabernets, Jesse and his team specifically work with some of the most special sites throughout Alexander Valley, in northern Sonoma County, that focus on well drained, volcanic soils. They are the Oliver Ranch Vineyard, Del Rio Vineyard, SJ Ranch Vineyard and Aperture Estate Vineyard surrounding the winery.
Winemaking
Aperture state-of-the-art winery is located just south of the town of Healdsburg and is one of the most modern facilities in California. All the fruit is hand harvested and brought into the winery within hours of being picked. Everything is methodically and obsessively sorted through 3 sorting tables and an optical sorting machine. The reds wines are aged from 18 to 20 months in French oak (from 50% – 80% new, depending on the cuvée). The Sauvignon Blanc typically comes from the Dry Stack Vineyard in Bennett Valley and is aged for 6 months in an equal split of new, once used, and neutral French Oak.
Latest arrivals from Aperture Cellars
2021 Aperture, Sauvignon Blanc, Sonoma County 12x75cl
Blend: 97% Sauvignon Blanc, 3% Semillon
Production: 1,808 cases
Aperture's Sauvignon Blanc was originally inspired by winemaker Jesse Katz’s experience working at Bordeaux First-Growth, Château... Haut-Brion in Bordeaux. His unique barrel program provides the wine with a distinct complexity and a subtle weight on the palate.
The 2021 Sauvignon Blanc is the first vintage to include Estate-grown Sémillion and Sauvignon Musqué, planted on the Aperture property in 2019. These two estate blocks were hand-harvested in early September while fruit from Dry Stack Vineyard in the Bennett Valley AVA was brought in
in early October, consistent with this vineyard’s unique late-ripening characteristics.
1/3 New French oak, 1/3 once used French Oak, and the remaining neutral French oak was selected for this vintage’s barrel program. Once transferred to barrel, the wine was placed in a cold barrel room to keep fermentation cool and slow to intentionally preserve the bright aromatics and fresh quality. As the wine slowly fermented for an additional 3 weeks in barrel, it was topped and stirred weekly. The wine stayed in those same barrels for 6 months. At that point, Jesse stopped the fermentation in order to maintain the wine’s natural bright acidity.
£505 / Case£42.08 / BottleDuty Status: In Bond ⋅ Price incl. of Duty & VAT: £644.45 / Case, £53.70 / BottleAvailability: Immediate ⋅ ETA to UK address: 2-4 days
2021 Aperture, Sauvignon Blanc, Sonoma County 1x75cl
Blend: 97% Sauvignon Blanc, 3% Semillon
Production: 1,808 cases
Aperture's Sauvignon Blanc was originally inspired by winemaker Jesse Katz’s experience working at Bordeaux First-Growth, Château... Haut-Brion in Bordeaux. His unique barrel program provides the wine with a distinct complexity and a subtle weight on the palate.
The 2021 Sauvignon Blanc is the first vintage to include Estate-grown Sémillion and Sauvignon Musqué, planted on the Aperture property in 2019. These two estate blocks were hand-harvested in early September while fruit from Dry Stack Vineyard in the Bennett Valley AVA was brought in
in early October, consistent with this vineyard’s unique late-ripening characteristics.
1/3 New French oak, 1/3 once used French Oak, and the remaining neutral French oak was selected for this vintage’s barrel program. Once transferred to barrel, the wine was placed in a cold barrel room to keep fermentation cool and slow to intentionally preserve the bright aromatics and fresh quality. As the wine slowly fermented for an additional 3 weeks in barrel, it was topped and stirred weekly. The wine stayed in those same barrels for 6 months. At that point, Jesse stopped the fermentation in order to maintain the wine’s natural bright acidity.
£43 / BottleDuty Status: In Bond ⋅ Price incl. of Duty & VAT: £54.80 / BottleAvailability: Immediate ⋅ ETA to UK address: 2-4 days
2020 Aperture, Red Blend, Alexander Valley 12x75cl
Blend: 33% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Malbec, 28% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc
Cases: 2,189
Few wines can boast such a balance of complexity and depth with a style that is guaranteed to put a huge smile... on the faces of everyone who drinks them. You can lay back and enjoy the experience just as much as you can admire the craftsmanship that went into making them.
The Red Blend is remarkable wine featuring the classic Bordeaux varietals - Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot - yet it stands apart for the 40% of Malbec in the blend. This fruit is truly special, coming from the Farrow Ranch and Rockpile Ridge Vineyards that Jesse champions with his multiple 100-point Devil Proof Malbecs.
£600 / Case£50 / BottleDuty Status: In Bond ⋅ Price incl. of Duty & VAT: £758.45 / Case, £63.20 / BottleAvailability: Immediate ⋅ ETA to UK address: 2-4 days
2020 Aperture, Red Blend, Alexander Valley 1x75cl
Blend: 33% Cabernet Sauvignon, 28% Malbec, 28% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc
Cases: 2,189
Few wines can boast such a balance of complexity and depth with a style that is guaranteed to put a huge smile... on the faces of everyone who drinks them. You can lay back and enjoy the experience just as much as you can admire the craftsmanship that went into making them.
The Red Blend is remarkable wine featuring the classic Bordeaux varietals - Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot - yet it stands apart for the 40% of Malbec in the blend. This fruit is truly special, coming from the Farrow Ranch and Rockpile Ridge Vineyards that Jesse champions with his multiple 100-point Devil Proof Malbecs.
£52 / BottleDuty Status: In Bond ⋅ Price incl. of Duty & VAT: £65.60 / BottleAvailability: Immediate ⋅ ETA to UK address: 2-4 days