2023 Aperture Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Soil Specific Sonoma County 750 ml

Hailing from what’s shaping up to be one of California’s great Cabernet vintages of all time, this is an absolute blockbuster with a whopping 96+ point score from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate—good enough to put it alongside Napa icons like Seavey ($230) and Alpha Omega ($300). 

Coming from any winemaker, from any vineyard, that wine would be a steal at just this price. But coming from superstar Cab craftsman Jesse Katz—who Wine Enthusiast just named their 2025 Winemaker of the Year—it’s a must-have that, honestly, should cost about double. 

Trained at iconic properties like Petrus, Screaming Eagle, and Viña Cobos, Jesse Katz keeps adding to his crowded trophy case: His 2025 WOTY title and #14 Best Vineyard in the World honor join his Enthusiast 40 Under 40 Tastemaker and Wine Spectator Rising Star nods. Let’s not forget, he made wine for the Timberlake-Biel wedding, and shattered records when a six-liter bottle of his 2019 Cabernet sold at a charity auction for $1M!

His monumental and spellbinding 2023 Aperture Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon is a testament to his gifts. Focused on mineral-rich volcanic-soil sites on cool Sonoma County hillsides, primarily in Alexander Valley, it’s crafted with the savoir-faire Katz absorbed across 20 harvests at iconic properties like Petrus, Screaming Eagle, and Viña Cobos, and it can compete with any Cabernet in California. 

  

It’s no accident that Jesse wound up in Sonoma County and not Napa. He headed there because the region is decades behind Napa in terms of site selection. That, he told us, presents an opportunity to make a mark by raising Cabernets like this one to unprecedented heights.

Alexander Valley is Sonoma’s mecca for Cabernet, with its red volcanic soils and the unique climate: cold nights and days that heat up as quickly as a Wolf oven. For the 2023—which comprises 95% Cabernet, with small amounts of Malbec, Merlot, and Petit Verdot—he also tapped his home vineyard in Healdsburg. Aged 18 months in 55% new French oak, this wine shows off his impeccable site selection and prodigious talents. It’s a Cabernet that stands with the best, and we’re thrilled to bring it to you.