Aperture Cabernet Sauvignon 2023
(Alexander Valley, California) - [WA 96+] [JS 95] [VM 94]

About the Winery:
Founded in 2009 by first-generation winemaker Jesse Katz, Aperture was born from a desire to craft California wines with the elegance and structure of the best Bordeaux estates. Katz—who previously worked at legendary estates like Pétrus and Screaming Eagle—focuses on cool-climate, high-elevation vineyards that bring out vibrant acidity and silky, refined tannins.

Aperture Cellars is so-named because the company is a collaboration with his father, Andy Katz, a professional photographer (an “aperture” is the opening in a lens through which light passes into a camera; it’s Andy’s photography on all the labels.) At Aperture, the wines shed light on what Bordeaux varieties in the cooler pockets of Sonoma are capable of. Warm, sunny days and brisk nights ensure that every bottle bursts with freshness, no matter how generous the fruit. None other than Wine Spectator has described our wines as “plump, intense and juicy” while remaining “clean and complex.”

Notes from the Winemaker:
Focusing first on the cabernet fruit from our mineral-rich, volcanic soil sites nestled on the hillside slopes in the Alexander Valley. This vintage’s blend is uniquely crafted with delicate inclusions of malbec, and a hint of merlot and petit verdot, showcasing intense black fruits enriched with lengthy velvety tannins.

Technical Information

VINEYARD:
Mix of eastern hillsides that are South and South West facing with a bench land block that is mostly dry-farmed. Hillside Cabernet vineyard sites, all with mineral-rich volcanic soils, are always the first focus of this blend.

SOIL (Volcanic):
For our Cabernet, we specifically work with some of the most unique sites throughout Alexander Valley that focus on well drained, volcanic soils. With little organic material, these soils help to control vigor and growth and increase concentration and complexity in the wine. Many of these unique soils are in the Eastern hillsides of the appellation and |display an amazing rich, red color.

APPELLATION
Sonoma County

BLEND

95% Cabernet Sauvignon
3% Malbec
1% Merlot
1% Petit Verdot

BARREL PROGRAM
Aged 18 months
55% new French oak
59 and 70 gallon French oak
10% concrete

Ratings & Reviews

96+ Points - Wine Advocate:
“I tasted the 2023 Cabernet Sauvignon in October, not long after it was bottled in August. Grapes were harvested October 5 through November 3. It was blended with 3% Malbec, 1% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot and matured for 18 months in 55% new French oak barrels plus 10% concrete—a new aging vessel Aperture has started experimenting with. It has 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 haut couture frame of powdery tannins and refreshing acidity and a very long, elegant finish. It should be very long lived in the cellar.” – Erin Brooks (Oct 2025)

95 Points - James Suckling:
Aromas of plums, blackberries, marionberries and red soil. Full-bodied and structured yet approachable, with abundant yet integrated tannins and a lot of earthy minerality in the finish. Drink or hold.

94 Points - Vinous Media:
"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, but this is another wine that needs several years of time to shed some of its serious tannic heft. A creamy mid-palate provides a beautiful canvas for the freshness of the vintage to shine." - Antonio Galloni (Jan 2026)