Aperture Cellars Red Blend 2021

Aperture Cellars is a Sonoma County winery founded by Jesse Katz — one of California's most talented young winemakers, whose background includes stints at some of the world's most celebrated estates, including Screaming Eagle and Pétrus. Katz founded Aperture with a vision of producing wines that combine the elegance and precision of the great Bordeaux estates with the generous fruit character of Sonoma County, and the winery has quickly earned a devoted following among collectors who prize its wines for their balance, complexity, and the unmistakable stamp of Katz's winemaking philosophy. The Red Blend is the winery's flagship — a Bordeaux-inspired cuvée that draws from the finest vineyards in Alexander Valley and beyond.

The 2021 Aperture Cellars Red Blend is a Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant blend with Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot from select Sonoma County vineyards, aged in French oak to add structure and complexity while preserving the wine's natural freshness and aromatic lift. Deep ruby in the glass, the nose is rich and inviting: blackcurrant, dark cherry, and ripe plum layered with cedar, graphite, dark chocolate, and a hint of dried herbs. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied and well-structured, with polished tannins, a generous mid-palate, and a long, elegant finish with notes of spice and toasted oak.

The Aperture Cellars Red Blend 2021 is exceptional alongside prime rib, grilled ribeye, rack of lamb, or braised short ribs — a Sonoma County Bordeaux blend of genuine collector-grade quality from one of California's most exciting young winemakers.