Aperture - Red Blend 2021 (750ml)

Founded in 2009 by winemaker Jesse Katz, Aperture wines are crafted from unique, cool-climate vineyards in Sonoma’s top regions. Wanting to craft wines on par with the quality and refinement that are so integral to a Bordeaux, Jesse set roots in Sonoma, believing it offers the best of both worlds: new world fruit and old-world elegance. Aperture Cellars is a collaboration between father and son Andy and Jesse Katz and focuses on Bordeaux varieties (their Devil Proof Vineyards is focused on 100% Malbec) sourced from cooler sites. 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.” Aperture wines are small batch and they sell out quickly, but they are worth searching out, combining as they do the best of the Old and New World, delivering a powerful punch but well sculpted with natural balance and no acidification or other cellar tricks.

WINEMAKER NOTES 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. For this vintage, we crafted a distinct Bordeaux blend, composed of primarily Merlot and Malbec, with a delicately balancing of smallerinclusion of cabernet sauvignon, petit verdot, and cabernet franc. The ripe red fruit characters are structured by silky seamless tannins, showcasing an elegant density to the blend

APPELLATION Sonoma County BLEND 44% Merlot 27% Malbec 10% Cabernet Sauvignon 10% Petit Verdot 9% Cabernet Franc BARREL PROGRAM Aged 18 months 50% new oak 59 and 70 gallon French oak barrels UNFINED, UNFILTERED AND UN-ACIDIFIED VINEYARD This wine is composed of all hillside vineyards which helps to keep berry size down and concentration strong.

SOIL TYPE | Clay Loam The vineyard blocks that make up our Red Blend are all clay soil type. This clay helps some of the early ripening varietals lengthen their growing season so the grapes achieve full phenolic ripeness while also keeping a freshness in the fruit characteristics.

Black currant, black mushroom, baking spices, lavender and dried flowers. Lead pencil. Full-bodied with pretty framing and tension from the French oak and a blend of 44% merlot, 27% malbec, 10% cabernet sauvignon, 10% petit verdot, and 9% cabernet franc.

The 2021 Bordeaux Red Blend is the first iteration to include a significant amount of fruit from Farrow Ranch, Aperture's latest vineyard acquisition. It's a blend of 44% Merlot, 27% Malbec, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 10% Petit Verdot and 9% Cabernet Franc and was matured for 18 months in 50% new French oak. It has slowly unfurling scents of red and black currants, chocolate-covered cherries, integrated new oak spices, tobacco and tapenade. The palate is particularly elegant, balancing concentrated, nuanced flavors with a frame of velvety tannins and vibrant acidity that calls you back to the glass.