Aperture Wine Dinner with Winemaker Jesse Katz

"Wine gives great pleasure, and every pleasure is of itself a good."
~ William Makepeace Thackeray

The pandemic is now into its 11th month and we have not seen a winemaker to host an event here at Wine Watch for as many months, but the winemakerless streak is over and Jesse Katz will be here on Monday, March 1st in person! 

We have been big fans of Jesse since we hosted an event with him in February of 2013 when he was plying his craft at Lancaster Winery with the Foley family of wines.  Jesse was featured in an article in Forbes Magazine entitled “30 under 30 to watch in the wine industry” and we knew at that time that we would be seeing him again with his own label, but I did not think it would be 8 years later. 

Jesse mentioned at that tasting a special vineyard of Malbec that he was looking to make an iconic wine from which is a very ambitious endeavor as Malbec is considered a value varietal unless you look at Bordeaux in the past when before Phylloxera when it was the most planted varietal.  Old Malbec is hard to find in Northern California, but Jesse is unique just like his wine- which are some of the best that I have tasted!  Join us as we experience some of the best new wines that California and the world has to offer. 

Aperture Wine Dinner with Winemaker Jesse Katz
Monday, March 1, 2021
7:30 PM

2019 Aperture Sauvignon Blanc Sonoma County
Price: $39.75       Your Price: $34.98            Quantity in Stock: 4

A blend of 98% Sauvignon Blanc and 2% Sémillon, the striking array of intricate tropical flavors and the stunning bouquet of floral aromatics in the 2019 Sauvignon Blanc demonstrates a is balanced by the varietal’s quintessential bright, natural acidity.

2019 Aperture Chenin Blanc North Coast
Price: $27.00       Your Price: $23.76            Quantity in Stock: 1

(90 Points) The 2019 Chenin Blanc, from vines planted in the 1940s in Clarksburg, has aromas of waxed apples and pears with accents of chamomile, dried herbs and a mineral note, opening up to peachy fruits on the palate, rounded and textural but very fresh and finishing uplifted. This aged half in stainless steel and half in neutral barrels.  Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

2017 Aperture Red Blend Sonoma
Price: $66.00       Your Price: $58.08            Quantity in Stock: 2

A blend of Malbec and Merlot from vines planted on clay soils, some of the fruit is estate and some is purchased from Jessie Katz a good amount of ripe black cherry, blueberry and currant berry fruit with notes of coco and licorice spice.  A rich and layered wine on the tongue with a solid core of fruit, a big wine but is also nicely balanced on the finish bit but fresh.  Finish 45+ Excellent +

2018 Aperture Red Blend Sonoma
Price: $66.00       Your Price: $58.08            Quantity in Stock: 12

(96 Points) The 2018 Red Blend is composed of 39% Cabernet Sauvignon, 33% Merlot, 22% Malbec, 3% Cabernet Franc and 3% Petit Verdot. The nose offers vibrant berry scents with accents of charcuterie, mint chocolate, cigar wrapper, violets and pencil shavings aromas, and the palate is powerful but featherweight, silky and fresh with a very long, layered finish. I love this balance of ripe fruit, mineral nuance, aromatic purity and structural power. This has the potential to grow into even more of a beauty with some time in bottle. Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

2017 Aperture Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley
Price: $82.50       Your Price: $72.60            Quantity in Stock: 1

There is 8% Malbec and 7% Merlot in the blend and this wine also has a very rich bouquet of cassis and currant berry fruit with sweet tobacco spice and hints of dark chocolate and pretty floral notes nice complexity.  A dense and rich wine on the tongue with layers of fruit, spice and some earthy notes but very fruit driven.  Finish 45+         Most Excellent

2018 Aperture Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley
Price: $82.50       Your Price: $72.60            Quantity in Stock: 12

(97 Points) The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon is a blend of 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Malbec, 5% Merlot and 2% Petit Verdot. Opaque ruby purple in the glass, it has an incredible perfume loaded with floral nuances, its cassis and boysenberry fruit tempered by a mineral streak and accented by notes of dried thyme, fresh tobacco leaves, mint chocolate, coffee and bay leaves. The palate is stunning, powerful but silky and fresh, lushly fruited and nuanced and finishing very long. While this 2018 is approachable and utterly delicious now, it will reward cellaring and should be very long lived.  Robert Parker's Wine Advocate

2017 Aperture Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley Oliver Ranch Vineyard
Price: $142.50    Your Price: $125.40          Quantity in Stock: 10

Loamy soils and this site specific wine has and incredible nose, espresso, smoke, graphite and sweet tobacco spice with dark chocolate and more as this wine opens big and fruity cassis and currants wow.  A big and chewy wine with a good amount of spice and toasty oak but also has some mineratiy showing even at this young age where the fruit is so prevalent.  A blockbuster with layers of fruit, toasty oak spice and a firm hand of acidity.  Finish 50+ KILLER

 

2017 Aperture Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley Del Rio Vineyard
Price: $142.50    Your Price: $125.40          Quantity in Stock: 10

Chalky volcanic soils and this is one of the highest vineyards in the Chalk Hill appellation and is 100% varietal dark currant and cassis berry fruit with wonderful richness very complex bouquet lots of everything.  A big and chewy wine with plush tannins and a lovely balance despite its size but layered and long finish.  Finish 50+ KILLER

2018 Devil Proof Malbec Farrow Ranch Alexander Valley
Price: $225.00    Sale $198.00

Devil Proof Malbec, Farrow Ranch, is a lush, strikingly complex wine that comes from the Alexander Valley hillsides of Farrow Ranch in Northern Sonoma County.

There are few sites where a single vineyard, let alone a single block, is better than a blend of multiple blocks or vineyards, but we have found something unique in this one vineyard block which contains all the components of an exceptional wine, exhibiting a true essence of terroir. This rare gem is Block #17 at Farrow Ranch for Devil Proof. The volcanic soil, a blend of Suther loam and Pleasanton gravelly loam, is ideally suited to this Malbec and allows us to successfully dry-farm the vineyard.

This block was planted in 2002 with a mix of Clone 4 and Clone 595 Malbec grafted to 1103P grapevine rootstock. An adjacent large steep hillside creates great air movement through the vines which further enhances the wide diurnal temperature swings so well-known in this region. The result is beautifully ripe and fresh berries with firm acidity and unparalleled elegance for its power.

Menu
Selection of Cheese and Charcuterie
Lobster Enchilada with Salsa Verde
Duck and Smoked Mozzarella Ravioli with Sundried Cherry Browned Butter
Australian Waygu Filet Mignon served with Blue Cheese Au Gratin Potatoes and Cabernet Natural Sauce
Dark Chocolate Crème Brulee

The fee for this tasting which includes dinner is $225 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.

A bit about Aperture Winery:

Wine is an artistic expression as personal and universal as photography. So it only makes sense that Andy and Jesse Katz would finally find a way to work together to produce some of the most stunning wines from California.

Wine is an artistic expression as personal and universal as photography. So it only makes sense that Andy and Jesse Katz would finally find a way to work together to produce some of the most stunning wines from California.

It’s all come full circle now with Aperture: Jesse makes the wine—some of the most critically lauded in the world—and Andy supplies the photos. Andy’s vision, Jesse’s taste, smell, and touch… Treat yourself to a dance of the senses compliments of two gifted artists.

The wines, and the winery, are just the entry point into Andy and Jesse’s unique world where we incorporate art and wine and all the elements of nature in one game-changing space. We think of our winery as a platform and an incubator for expressing art and the creativity of wine, and the intersection of both.

As a boy traveling with his well known wine country photographer father, Andy, winemaker Jesse Katz was exposed at an early age to the most famous wine regions on earth. While his father was taking photographs and creating books in Burgundy or Tuscany, the seed was being planted. Later, as a young man working summers in the vineyards and winery lab while attending Fresno State University in California it wasn't long before Jesse had his Enology Degree with a minor in chemistry. After honing his craft in Napa and Argentina, Jesse was recruited from cult producer Screaming Eagle in 2010 and quickly established that he understood how to build on the tradition of excellence that has defined Lancaster Estate from the very first vintage. Working with legendary winemakers like Andy Ericson, Paul Hobbs, Hans Vinding-Diers and Robert Foley shortcuts the process of absorbing a lifetime of winemaking insights.  Working in an array of climates and countries brings added depth.  With dust on his boots, Jesse has quickly learned what the estate vineyards promise.

Jesse Katz has, in a remarkably short period of time, made himself into one of the most respected wine professionals in California. He was the first winemaker ever to be included in the Forbes 30 Under 30 list, a Wine Enthusiast 40 Under 40 Tastemaker, and had been named a Wine Spectator “Rising Star.”

Jesse’s mission for Aperture is to find the top cool-climate spots around California for his beloved Bordeaux varieties to thrive in. For Devil Proof Vineyards, it’s all about dry-farmed Malbec—the variety for which Jesse earned the highest-ever scores from Wine Spectator, Robert Parker, Jr. of The Wine Advocate, and Wine Enthusiast.

Eighteen harvests learning from the best producers in the world—Petrus, Screaming Eagle, Viña Cobos, Bodega Noemia, and more—have led to this moment at Aperture, where his wines have generated buzz and critical acclaim in equal measure. Jesse has earned it all: A lifetime of preparation has led to this moment.