Aperture Cabernet Sauvignon 2020
(Alexander Valley, California) - [JD 97] [WA 96] [TWI 93]

About the Winery:
Aperture Cellars champions a range of expressive Bordeaux style wines from Sonoma County’s premier cool-climate Bordeaux varietal vineyard sites.

Notes from the Winemaker:
All of our fruit is hand harvested and brought into the winery within hours of being picked. Everything is methodically and obsessively sorted. A cold soak of 4-7 days with minimal air incorporation starts the extraction and then cool fermentations with native yeast carry out the remaining. Air and temperature are controlled throughout the 14-28 day fermentation and extended maceration is determined lot by lot when I walk the fine line of full extraction but still keep an elegant and silky texture. Wines go through malolactic fermentation in barrel and are aged (sur-lees) for 18 months. Bottled unfined, unfiltered, and un-acidified.

Focusing first on the cabernet fruit from our mineral-rich, volcanic soil sites nestled on cooler hillside slopes in the Alexander Valley, this vintage’s blend is uniquely crafted with delicate inclusions of merlot, malbec.

Technical Information

Ratings & Reviews

97 Points - Jeb Dunnuck:
"Inky purple/black-hued, the 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon is 91% Cabernet Sauvignon and the rest Cabernet Franc. Ripe aromas of black cherry liqueur, eucalyptus, polished leather, and toasted cedar all come together beautifully in the glass. Ripe, pure black fruit fills the palate with notes of preserved black currant, candied violets, sweet tannins, and a pleasing note of espresso on the finish. It is long on the palate, has a good lift, and is clean on the finish. Drink 2025-2045.

Jesse Katz and winemaker Hillary Sjolund are 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."

96 Points - Robert Parker Wine Advocate
"The 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon was blended with 4% Cabernet Franc, 3% Malbec, 1% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot and matured for 18 months in 55% new French oak. Deep ruby-purple, it has alluring scents of Morello cherries and blueberries accented by wafts of laurel leaves, allspice and cocoa. Medium-bodied and firm yet velvety, it's ripe yet more restrained than previous vintages, offering classy oak spice and surprising drinkability. 2,033 cases produced." - Erin Brooks (3/23/23)

93 Points - The Wine Independent:
"The 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend of 91% Cabernet Sauvignon, 4% Cabernet Franc, 3% Malbec, 1% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot, aged 18 months in French oak, 55% of it new. Deep garnet-purple in color, it delivers blackcurrant preserves, spicy plums, and fruitcake scents with hints of tar and underbrush. The full-bodied palate is firm, grainy, and lively, with beautiful fruit purity, quite lively and fresh with a long finish. "We were very selective in 2020," said winemaker Jess Katz. "Most of this comes from the hills of Del Rio - Alexander Valley, a little Farrow Ranch and some fruit from Chalk Hill Road." 2,033 cases were made." - Lisa Perrotti-Brown (Oct 2022)