Founder and first-generation winemaker Jesse Katz named Wine Enthusiast’s 2025 Winemaker of the Year & Aperture ranked #14 on 2025 World’s 50 Best Vineyards
February 2, 2026 (Healdsburg, CA) — Founded in 2009 by first-generation winemaker Jesse Katz, Aperture Cellars is a renowned Sonoma County winery dedicated to expressing the region’s extraordinary potential for producing world-class Bordeaux varietals in California. Among numerous accolades and recognition, Katz was recently awarded by Wine Enthusiast as their 2025 Winemaker of the Year and Aperture Cellars placed #14 on the 2025 World’s Best Vineyards, earning global distinction.
Crafted from over 200 acres of unique, cool-climate vineyards across Sonoma’s top appellations, Aperture has established itself as an elite wine label and global benchmark for California Bordeaux varietals. Under the leadership of Jesse Katz, the winery has achieved historic and record-setting acclaim. Katz has crafted more than three dozen 100-point wines across Aperture and his broader portfolios, producing the first-ever 100-point Malbec in U.S. history and the first 100-point wine from Alexander Valley. He is a Guinness World Record holder for the most expensive bottle of wine ever sold and was named Wine Enthusiast’s 2025 Winemaker of the Year, following earlier recognition on Wine Enthusiast’s 40 Under 40 Tastemakers list and becoming the first winemaker honored on Forbes’ 30 Under 30. Katz was further recognized by Galerie as one of their 2026 Creative Minds, underscoring his influence at the intersection of wine, art, and culture. Aperture Cellars was celebrated by Architectural Digest as one of the most beautiful wineries in Napa and Sonoma. The estate and experience have also been spotlighted by Vogue as a premier wine tasting destination and multiple times by Forbes for excellence in hospitality, architecture, and design.
Rooted in his early travels to legendary vineyards and wineries around the world with his father, celebrated photographer Andy Katz, Jesse cultivated an enviable international wine education while tasting alongside industry luminaries and exploring historic cellars. These formative experiences inspired his lifelong pursuit of terroir-driven precision and creative expression. Each Aperture wine label features an original Andy Katz photograph, presenting every bottle as an expression of art both inside and out. Drawing inspiration from the lens filters in a professional photographer’s toolkit, Aperture identifies diverse vineyard sites, each contributing distinct qualities and layers of complexity. Today, Jesse crafts nuanced wines across Aperture Cellars and Devil Proof Vineyards, earning dozens of 100-point scores across both portfolios.
In 2016, Aperture acquired the historic 42-acre Ponzo Vineyard property, now home to the Aperture Estate in Healdsburg, California. First planted in 1912, the estate features a 24,000-square-foot state-of-the-art winery and a 4,000-square-foot hospitality center designed by Signum Architecture. Inspired by the physical aperture of a camera, the buildings emphasize dramatic angles, clean lines, and abundant natural light, translating the shared vision of father and son into architectural form through a sustainable, high-efficiency design ethos.
As with every aspect of the Aperture experience, the intermingling of art and wine defines the hospitality program. A gallery-style environment featuring Andy Katz photography from around the world invites guests to experience wine through a global and creative lens. The estate includes a seated tasting bar, private rooms with floor-to-ceiling windows for elevated experiences, and an outdoor terrace overlooking the estate vineyards toward the Russian River. In addition to daily tastings by appointment, the space hosts private dinners, events, and custom experiences.
Cabernet Sauvignon is the signature wine of Aperture Cellars. The portfolio also includes a Red Bordeaux Blend, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc, and highly sought-after single-vineyard Cabernet Sauvignons. Aperture’s Chenin Blanc holds the highest Wine Enthusiast rating ever awarded to the varietal in California. The 2021 Aperture Farrow Ranch Cabernet Sauvignon became the first Sonoma Cabernet Sauvignon in Wine Enthusiast history to earn a perfect score, while the 2020 Del Rio Cabernet Sauvignon remains the only wine from the 2020 vintage to receive a 100-point score from Jeb Dunnuck and the first Cabernet Sauvignon in Alexander Valley history to do so. Devil Proof centers on single-vineyard, dry-farmed Malbec from Alexander Valley’s Farrow Ranch and Rockpile Ridge Vineyard, holding the distinction of being the highest-rated California Malbec by leading critics and the only Malbec to receive multiple 100-point scores.
In 2025, Jesse introduced Collage, the most ambitious and creatively inspired release in the Aperture portfolio to date. Drawing from years of precision farming across five appellations and estate vines planted in 1912, Collage brings together the finest vineyard lots into two exceptional wines, Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet Sauvignon. The Cabernet Sauvignon undergoes 22 months in barrel, six months in custom cement vessels, and one year in bottle, resulting in a refined and transcendent expression of Sonoma’s diversity and depth.
Beyond the winery, Jesse’s influence extends into philanthropy and culture. He has raised over $5.8 million for charitable organizations through wine donations and custom experiences and currently serves on the Board of Directors for the SommFoundation, supporting education for wine and spirits professionals. Known for discretion and excellence, Jesse has become a trusted vintner for Hollywood, sports, and culinary leaders, with bespoke collaborations including Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel, Ellen DeGeneres, Von Miller, Reggie Jackson, the Houston Astros, the Los Angeles Lakers, and iconic destinations such as Montage Resorts, Yellowstone Club, SingleThread, and Alinea.
With a career spanning 26 harvests across four continents, Jesse Katz continues to redefine modern winemaking through innovation, authenticity, and artistic vision. Aperture wines are currently available in 19 states and six countries, with additional global markets slated to open as the brand continues its international expansion.
For more information, please contact Sarah Gargano at sarah@sarahgargano.com
ABOUT APERTURE CELLARS
Aperture Cellars, founded in 2009 by first-generation winemaker Jesse Katz, is dedicated to crafting a range of expressive, world-class Bordeaux-style wines from Sonoma County’s premier cool-climate vineyard sites. Working with over 200 vineyard acres, including the Aperture Estate, located in Healdsburg, California, and home to a 24,000 sq. ft. state-of-the-art winery and a 4,000 sq. ft. hospitality space with art gallery, Aperture serves as an incubator for artistic and vinous expression.
Rooted in his early adventures to legendary vineyards and wineries around the world with his father, celebrated photographer Andy Katz, Jesse cultivated an enviable international wine education and was inspired by the terroir, balance, and creativity of wine making that has set him on a path he has pursued ever since. Each wine label features an original Andy Katz photograph demonstrating every Aperture wine as an expression of art both inside and out. With inspiration driven from the physical aperture of a camera, an ode to Jesse’s father, the estate’s buildings showcase dramatic angles, clean lines and a focus on natural light. The estate translates the global experience and vision of father and son into architecture.
Aperture meticulously oversees every aspect of farming across their Sonoma County properties, including their winery estate in Healdsburg’s Russian River Valley appellation and their Alexander Valley estate property of Farrow Ranch. The winery has set numerous records
from consumers and wine critics, earning dozens of 100-point scores, including the first perfect score ever for Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec in the Alexander Valley appellation. In addition to hosting daily wine tasting experiences (by appointment), Aperture Estate is available to host custom events and private experiences.
For more information, please visit https://aperture-cellars.com.
