Aperture Sonoma Chenin Blanc 2023 - 750ml

95pts Decanter

The 2023 Aperture Chenin Blanc hails from the Clarksburg AVA near California's Sierra Foothills. Winemaker Jesse Katz says that the 40-year-old, dry-farmed vines there benefit from cooling breezes that come in from the San Joaquin River Valley. Fermentation was done in various vessels (cement, neutral French oak, and stainless steel) to preserve the freshness and transparency of fruit from what Katz noted was an early-ripening vintage. An Incredibly bright nose of pear, white peach, white pepper, and chalky minerals with springtime flowers marks the nose. Acid-driven freshness is immediately prevalent on the palate, like a fresh squeeze of lemon intermixed with lemon zest, lime blossoms, apricots, marionberry, and white raspberry. The flavours are all fueled by a saline-mineral finish that keeps everything super bright and lifted. Easily one of the brightest, most focused expressions of this wine ever, and at 12.2% alcohol, it is eminently food-friendly and an easy quaffer.

94pts James Suckling

A light-bodied, very fresh and dry wine with aromas of minerals and wet stones. Great acidity balances a creamy lemon curd character that’s bright and clean. Only 12.2% alcohol. Drink now or hold.

94pts International Wine Report

93pts Jeb Dunnuck

The 2023 Chenin Blanc displays a bright yellow/silver hue and is floral and dewy, with fresh aromas of white blossoms, baby powder, starfruit, and candied citrus. Medium-bodied, it’s bright through the finish, with an elegant, linear, and weightless feel. It’s really pretty and never feels austere.

91pts Wine Spectator - Top 100 Wines 2024

Shows plenty of verve and intensity, offering yuzu, mango and lemon curd notes at the core, plus accents of hops, vetiver and lemongrass. Vibrant acidity and plenty of momentum on the finish make this a showy wine, with a hint of crunchy sea salt that lingers.

About the Wine

Our 2023 Chenin Blanc is a vibrant and bright wine, coming from old vines planted in the 1940’s. It is a product of its rich clay loam soils and colder, brisk nights that are made possible by the Delta Breeze coming in off the San Francisco Bay.

Winery Description

Never mind the six million album covers around the world that feature Andy Katz’s photographs, or his dozen books of gorgeous photos that grace countless coffee tables around the country, or the many awards on his mantel earned from five decades of work around the world. It was all an excuse. An excuse to drink world class wine. To learn what it takes to make world class wine. And to spend time with his young son Jesse. Andy brought Jesse to the the most famous vineyards on earth, from the heart of Burgundy to the hills of Tuscany. He may not have admitted it at the time, but Andy’s gambit worked. Barely a decade later, Jesse is now one of the most exciting — and accomplished — winemakers in the world, recently gracing the cover of Wine Enthusiast as a rising young star who is doing nothing less than “changing the way the world drinks.” The son of a man who, through his photographs, changes the way the world sees wine. It’s a perfect combination. Jesse supplies the grapes, Andy supplies the images. And together they make wines worthy of their travels. Aperture. World class wines. Katz and Katz. A world class pairing.