A tasting of Aperture Cellars Wines
We will be serving Shrimp Cocktail, Artisan Cheeses and Charcuterie to complement the wines. This will be a formal sit-down tasting. Please RSVP. Reservations must be paid in advance.
1-Maison Blanquette Brut Nature Languedoc-Roussillon France
$20.99 bottle by the six pack $18.00 bot
Mediterranean climate with oceanic influence. Hillsides and terraces gently sloping filled with clay-limestone soil. Young wine expressing the richness and the roundness of the Mauzac, Chenin, Chardonnay grape. Green apple and stone fruit on the nose. The approach is round and well-balanced on the palate with crisp apple tartness, evoking the combination of freshness and tree fruit flavors.
2-Avelino Vegas 2023 Circe Verdejo Rueda Spain
$19.99 bottle by the six pack $17.00 bottle
Enjoyability factor 91 Rating
Circe Verdejo is a perfumed wine that cleanses the palate like few others, so accompanying slightly fattier dishes is a fabulous combination. Foie gras and pâtés are great table companions and Circe’s joys, as well as soupy rice and glamorous appetizers.
3-Chateau La Coste 2023 Coteaux d’Aix-en-Provence Les Pentes Douces Blanc Provence France
$29.99 bottle by the six pack $27.00 bottle
Enjoyability factor 92 Rating
Rich, complex and powerful nose with citrus notes. Aromas of white fruits: peaches and pears. Floral touch of hawthorn slightly spicy. Round and smooth mouth, fresh on a citrus finish of vermentino. Nice tension, nice minerality, little salinity at the end.
4-Aperture Cellars 2022 “Soil Specific” Chenin Blanc Clarksburg CA
$29.99 bottle by the six pack $25.00 bottle
Wine Advocate 93 Rating
The 2022 Chenin Blanc was matured mostly in stainless steel, with smaller portions in neutral French oak and cement. It’s bursting with alluring scents of kumquat, kiwi, white peaches and gravel dust. It’s a pretty expression with Goldilocks ripeness. The palate features a focused spine of acidity that drives its concentrated, expansive flavors, and it has a long finish that seems to gain in intensity with each sip.
5-Aperture Cellars 2022 Sauvignon Blanc Sonoma County CA
$34.99 bottle by the six pack $30.00 bottle
Wine Advocate 95 Rating
The 2022 Sauvignon Blanc is blended with 16% Sémillon and was matured mostly in French oak (33% new) plus a smaller portion of cement tank. It’s the first vintage where so much Sémillon has been included—since acquiring Farrow Ranch in 2021, winemaker Jesse Katz has been able to add some of that site’s fruit into his Aperture wines. It has alluring tones of white peach, kumquat, meringue and crème brûlée on the nose, plus wafts of floral perfume. The medium-bodied palate offers expansive flavors that segue from candied citrus to guava and vanilla pots de crème. It has a luxuriously satiny texture balanced by focused acidity and a very long, flavorful finish.
6-Aperture Cellars 2021 “Soil Specific” Bordeaux Blend Sonoma CA
$54.99 bot by the six pack $45.00 bottle
Wine Advocate 95 Rating
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.
7-Aperture Cellars 2021 “Soil Specific” Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma CA
$74.99 bottle by the six pack $65.00 bottle
Wine Advocate 96 Rating
The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon comes from Aperture’s estate vineyard in Healdsburg and their newest vineyard acquisition, Farrow Ranch in Alexander Valley, plus some of the original single vineyards in the Aperture program like Oliver Ranch. It is blended with 6% Petit Verdot, 5% Merlot, 3% Malbec and 1% Cabernet Franc and was matured for 16 months in 55% new French oak. It has vibrant, layered aromas of blueberry compote, lavender, aniseed, milk chocolate and nutmeg with undertones of cast iron and tobacco leaves. The medium-bodied palate is elegantly styled, pairing deep flavors with a weightless feel due to its bright acidity and velvety tannins. It has a long, latent finish and deserves 3-5 years in bottle.
8-Devil Proof 2021 Cima Ladera Red Blend Farrow Ranch Alexander Valley CA
$249.99 bottle
Wine Advocate 98 Rating
The 2021 Farrow Ranch Cima Ladera is a brand-new wine from Devil Proof. It comes from vines planted in 1989 at Farrow Ranch in Alexander Valley, which winemaker Jesse Katz acquired in 2021. “I’ve been trying to get into this vineyard block for years,” he exclaims. “I had to purchase the vineyard to get it!” It’s a blend of 65% Malbec and 35% Cabernet Sauvignon and was matured for 22 months in 90% new French oak. It has ringing scents of maraschino cherries and blueberries with accents of bitter chocolate, spearmint, vanilla, lilac and aniseed, offering up new nuances with each return to the glass. The full-bodied palate is lovely! It balances tremendously concentrated flavors with bright acidity and velvety tannins, and it has a very long finish with a fan of spicy accents. This is fantastically expressive and so singular! Only 580 cases were made.