2021 Aperture Cabernet Sauvignon Soil Specific Alexander Valley 750 ml

Jesse Katz’s monumental and spellbinding 2021 Aperture Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma County is a testament to his gifts. Focused on mineral-rich volcanic-soil sites on cool Sonoma County hillsides, it’s crafted with the savoir-faire Katz absorbed across 20 harvests at iconic properties like Petrus, Screaming Eagle, and Viña Cobos, and it can compete with any Cabernet in Sonoma County—if not California. 

At barely 40 years old, Katz has already made one of the world’s most expensive wines (a $350,000 Cabernet sold at auction) and a Malbec that Robert Parker speculated “may be the finest I have ever tasted from California.” He’s also been named a Wine Enthusiast 40 Under 40 Tastemaker and a Wine Spectator Rising Star, and he was the first winemaker to land on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list. 

Katz headed to Sonoma County because the region is decades behind Napa in terms of site selection. That, he told us, presents an opportunity to make a mark by raising Cabernets like this one to unprecedented heights.

He was drawn to Alexander Valley for its red volcanic soils and the unique climate: cold nights and days that heat up as quickly as a Wolf oven. For the 2021—which comprises 85% Cabernet, with small amounts of Petit Verdot, Merlot, Malbec, and Cabernet Franc—he also tapped his home vineyard in Healdsburg. Aged 18 months in 55% new French oak, this wine shows off his impeccable site selection and prodigious talents. It’s a Cabernet that stands with the best, and we’re thrilled to share it with you.