We all know that wine trends move in waves. But vines don’t care about trends, and you certainly can’t plan for them if one day you want to drink wine produced from 80 year-old vines. 

That’s the story behind Aperture’s Chenin Blanc. The vines were planted in the 1940s, in a quiet pocket of the North Coast, at a time when California was planting almost anything but Chenin. Decades later, as the grape finally has its moment, Jesse Katz is one of the few working with truly old vines, and doing so with clarity and care. His 2023 North Coast Chenin Blanc is as crisp and mineral as any Loire fan could hope for, but there’s also something unmistakably Californian in its sunshine and ease. A living time capsule, built for today.

Katz’s approach to winemaking is shaped by both precision and perspective. He grew up surrounded by art (his father is a world-renowned photographer) and brings that sense of composition and balance into the cellar. Every wine is a study in texture and line, focused not on power but on place. He’s also a master of small decisions: which block, which barrel, which pick date — all in service of letting the site speak.

That’s especially true in his 2022 Soil Specific Cabernet Sauvignon, from Alexander Valley. Long overshadowed by Napa, this corner of Sonoma is finally having its say. Katz is one of the reasons why. With careful vineyard mapping and low-intervention winemaking, he’s showing just how much detail and depth this region can offer. The wine is structured, yes, but also layered, lifted, and true to its site. That’s why it’s called “Soil specific”!  There’s no flash here, but rather it’s the kind of Cabernet that reminds you why people fell in love with California in the first place.

These wines are very different from each other. One is from ancient vines on the North Coast, the other from a carefully chosen site in Sonoma’s forgotten gem of a valley. But they share a vision. They're crafted not to chase trends, but to reveal something essential, something worth paying attention to, and most of all, something delicious.

Aperture North Coast Chenin Blanc 2023 - $36.99

Aperture Soil Specific Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley 2022 - $79.99