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Artisan.wine · The Aperture / Devil Proof Allocation
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Never released to retail · 12 bottles each
A 100-point Cabernet.
A 99-point Malbec.
By a Pétrus alum.
The Aperture Cellars and Devil Proof allocation has landed at Artisan — including two cult bottlings that have never before been released to retail. Twelve bottles of each. When they're gone, they're gone.
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Del Rio Vyd Cab
100 pts
Intl. Wine Review
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Devil Proof Cima Ladera
99 pts
Jeb Dunnuck
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Dear Wine Lover,
A few times a year, a single producer's allocation lands and everyone in the trade pays attention. This is one of those moments. Aperture Cellars and its single-vineyard sibling Devil Proof — both led by winemaker Jesse Katz — have allocated to Artisan a set of six wines, two of which have never been released to a retailer before this shipment.
The Del Rio Vineyard Cabernet just scored a perfect 100 from International Wine Review. The Devil Proof Cima Ladera Malbec-Cab scored 99 from Jeb Dunnuck. Twelve bottles of each are on their way here.
✦ ✦ ✦
Meet Jesse Katz
Pétrus · Screaming Eagle · Hourglass · Lancaster · Roth · Aperture
The trajectory speaks for itself. Jesse Katz cut his teeth at two of the most consequential addresses in the wine world — Château Pétrus in Pomerol and Screaming Eagle in Oakville — the latter alongside legendary winemakers Bob Foley at Hourglass and Andy Erickson. He moved on to become winemaker at Lancaster Estate and Roth Estate, where his handcrafted, terroir-driven approach delivered the highest-rated wines in either estate's history.
In 2009, he founded Aperture as a collaboration with his father, the renowned photographer Andy Katz (whose images grace every label). The wines have routinely scored up to 98 points in Wine Advocate and across the major publications, and Aperture is also the official custom wine exclusively for The Montage in Healdsburg.
The credentials read like a wine-trade greatest-hits list: Forbes 30 Under 30, Wine Enthusiast 40 Under 40 Tastemaker, and Wine Spectator "Rising Star." When the wines arrive at this number, you reach in — before the rest of the market does.
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“If you haven't heard of Jesse Katz yet, you soon will. He's one of northern California's most talented young winemakers with a natural eye for unique sites in Sonoma and Napa.”
— Lisa Perrotti-Brown MW
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“Jesse Katz is producing some of Sonoma's best examples of Bordeaux-inspired blends today. The wines offer hedonistic pleasure across the range, offering high-octane power balanced with superb elegance, and with their top reds have significant aging potential.”
— Jeb Dunnuck
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The Two Headliners
Never before released to retail.
12 bottles of each allocated to Artisan. Once they clear, they don't come back.
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Wine One · 100 Points
12 Bottles Allocated
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Aperture Cellars
Del Rio Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon 2022
Alexander Valley, Sonoma County · 100% Cabernet Sauvignon
From a steep, south-facing hillside vineyard atop Chalk Hill Road, planted in 2000 on a four-acre block of Clone 337. Chalky volcanic soils with almost no organic material give intensely concentrated, complex fruit and an underlying mineral grip. Twenty-two months in 100% new French oak. Only 340 cases made worldwide.
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100IWR
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98Dunnuck
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97Advocate
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96Suckling
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95Decanter
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100 Points · International Wine Review · Editor's Choice
"A wine of immense character and grandeur… an impenetrable inky purple color, hinting at its power and concentration. The bouquet is layered and evocative, offering aromas of blackberry preserves, black plums, crushed cedary herbs, pipe tobacco, sage, pencil shavings, and wilted rose petals. On the palate, this wine delivers remarkable depth and authority. Flavors of blackcurrant liqueur, macerated cherries, dark chocolate, and savory thyme unfold in waves, framed by firm yet velvety tannins. The texture is bold and commanding, yet there's an underlying refinement that emerges with every sip. A bright vein of acidity lends vibrancy, seamlessly balancing the wine's density. The finish is staggeringly long… Built for the ages, this wine promises to evolve beautifully over the decades."
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98 Points · Jeb Dunnuck · Drink 2027–2050
"An inky black/red color, the wine is forward and ripe with notes of tobacco, blackcurrants, plum skin, wild herbs, pine, and violets. It's fleshy and full, yet it maintains a mouthwatering freshness, with its richer tannins emerging on the mid-palate and finish. It's highly floral and has notes of tea leaf on the finish."
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$149.99
Per bottle · 12 allocated
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Wine Two · 99 Points
12 Bottles Allocated · Inaugural Release
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Devil Proof Vineyard (Aperture Cellars)
Cima Ladera Farrow Ranch 2021
Alexander Valley, Sonoma County · 65% Malbec, 35% Cabernet Sauvignon
The inaugural release of Cima Ladera (Spanish for "top of the hillside") from vines planted in 1989 at Farrow Ranch. In Erin Brooks's words: "I've been trying to get into this vineyard block for years," Katz exclaims. "I had to purchase the vineyard to get it!" Twenty-two months in 90% new French oak. Only 580 cases made worldwide.
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99Dunnuck
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98Advocate
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97Enthusiast
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96Suckling
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94Spectator
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99 Points · Jeb Dunnuck · Drink 2029–2059
"Inky purple-colored… mostly Malbec with the addition of 35% Cabernet Sauvignon and sees 90% new French oak. The first vintage they made of this wine, the Cabernet really pops through in its profile, with a nose of fresh plums, redcurrants, lavender, and a mineral lift of pencil lead jumping from the glass. Full-bodied, it has a mountainous feel to its structure, with plenty of ripe tannins and a balanced, even freshness underneath. This is a great addition to the range that's going to appeal to lovers of great Cabernet Sauvignon."
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98 Points · Wine Advocate · Erin Brooks
"Ringing scents of maraschino cherries and blueberries with accents of bitter chocolate, spearmint, vanilla, lilac and aniseed… The full-bodied palate is lovely! It balances tremendously concentrated flavors with bright acidity and velvety tannins, and it has a very long finish with a fan of spicy accents. This is fantastically expressive and so singular!"
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$299.99
Per bottle · 12 allocated
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The Aperture Mainline
Two reds. Two whites. All 91 to 97 points.
The wines that built Aperture's reputation. Available now alongside the headliners.
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The Estate Cabernet · WA 96+
Alexander Valley
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Aperture Cellars
Cabernet Sauvignon 2023
Sonoma County · 95% Cab Sauv, 3% Malbec, 1% Merlot, 1% Petit Verdot
From east-facing Alexander Valley hillsides on mineral-rich volcanic soils, with a small bench-land block that's mostly dry-farmed. Aged 18 months in 55% new French oak plus 10% concrete — a new aging vessel Aperture is experimenting with. Three majors put it in the 94 to 96+ point tier; Erin Brooks at Wine Advocate calls it "impressively concentrated… very long lived."
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96+Wine Advocate
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95James Suckling
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94Vinous
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96+ Points · Wine Advocate · Erin Brooks (Oct 2025)
"Slowly unfurling scents of cassis, black cherry, dark chocolate, cast iron and floral hints. The full-bodied palate is impressively concentrated without over-ripeness, and its flavors are rich yet minerally. It has an haute couture frame of powdery tannins and refreshing acidity and a very long, elegant finish. It should be very long lived in the cellar."
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94 Points · Vinous · Antonio Galloni (Jan 2026)
"Opaque garnet in the glass, the 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon is everything you could want from a modern Sonoma County Cabernet. Varietal signatures abound, with black olive, tomato leaf, sage and gravel underscoring a core of sweet red/blue berry preserves. A creamy mid-palate provides a beautiful canvas for the freshness of the vintage to shine."
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The Five-Grape Bordeaux Blend · WE 97
WE Cellar Selection
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Aperture Cellars
Bordeaux Red Blend 2022
Sonoma County · 36% Malbec, 35% Cab Sauv, 24% Merlot, 3% Petit Verdot, 2% Cab Franc
A distinctive Malbec-forward Bordeaux blend, hand-harvested and brought into the winery within hours, obsessively double-sorted, cold-soaked 4–7 days, fermented with native yeast, then aged 18 months sur lees in 45% new French oak. Wine Enthusiast scored it 97 points and named it a Cellar Selection; four more majors all landed it 93+. 8,470 cases produced.
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97Enthusiast
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95IWR
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94Dunnuck
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94Decanter
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93Advocate
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97 Points · Wine Enthusiast · Cellar Selection
"This opulent Malbec-forward blend delivers loads of crushed blueberry, black plum, coffee and sage aromas on the nose, while the palate displays hearty tannic structure with lavish acidity and flavors of currant, cassis, shattered granite, dark chocolate and licorice. Rest this in the cellar for a decade or more and grill the biggest steak you can find."
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94 Points · Decanter · Michaela Morris (Apr 2025) · Drink 2025–2035
"A vibrant, layered blend, this wine brings freshness and perfume to the classic Bordeaux framework. The nose opens with a mix of black and red berries, wet roses, and subtle green undertones that add aromatic tension. On the palate, it's compact, with dusty tannins and a warm finish that carries notes of spiced cocoa. A wine that feels both youthful and has the structure to evolve."
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The Two Whites
A Haut-Brion-inspired Sauv Blanc & a Top-100 Chenin.
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Aperture Cellars
Sauvignon Blanc 2023
Sonoma County · 82% SB / 18% Sém
WE 94 ECh · JD 94 · DM 94 · WA 93 · JS 93 · WS 92
Inspired by Katz's time at Haut Brion. Barrel-fermented (some in Haut-Brion barrels with Acacia heads). WE called it "among the best Sauvignon Blancs out there. Period."
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Aperture Cellars
Chenin Blanc 2023
Clarksburg AVA · 100% Chenin
DM 95 · JS 94 · IWR 94 · WE 93 · JD 93 · WS 91 #71 Top 100
Old-vine, dry-farmed Chenin from 1940s-planted vineyard. 12.2% alc. Decanter called it "easily one of the brightest, most focused expressions of this wine ever." WS Top 100.
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An Exclusive Worth Knowing
Aperture is the official custom wine of The Montage in Healdsburg.
Of every winery in Sonoma, The Montage Healdsburg — the appellation's most acclaimed luxury resort — chose Aperture as its exclusive custom-wine partner. The same wines that grace the Montage table are the ones we've brought in. Twelve bottles of the cult Del Rio, twelve of the cult Cima Ladera, and four mainline Aperture wines that anchored the program in the first place.
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The full allocation
Six wines. Two cult bottlings.
One winemaker the trade is watching.
Del Rio Vineyard Cabernet (IWR 100 / JD 98 / WA 97). Devil Proof Cima Ladera (JD 99 / WA 98 / WE 97). Plus the four mainline Aperture wines that built the reputation — all scoring 91 to 97. Twelve bottles each of the headliners. When the cult wines clear, they're gone.
Del Rio $149.99 · Devil Proof $299.99 · Cab $74.99 · Bordeaux Blend $59.99 · SB $44.99 · Chenin $34.99
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All my best,
James Tran
Artisan.wine
P.S. The Del Rio and Devil Proof are the rarest allocations of the year so far — twelve bottles of each, and we don't expect to see this number again. Reach in early if either is on your list. Questions? Text 650-880-3553.
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Artisan.wine
artisan.wine
Chat → artisan.wine/?chat · Email → sales@artisan.wine
Text → 650-880-3553 · Phone → 650-917-8080
Please enjoy responsibly · Must be 21+ · Allocation limited; pricing & availability subject to change
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