Wine Lovers Are Invited to Explore the Expanded Devil Proof Collection in Healdsburg for a Limited Time
Healdsburg, CA, October 5, 2023 — Devil Proof Vineyards today announces exciting developments for the brand that further elevate and proliferate the Sonoma winery’s voice as a producer of world-class wines. Beginning October 5th, a dedicated tasting experience will make its debut, showcasing the breadth of the lauded wine portfolio, running for a limited time at the Aperture estate property in Healdsburg, CA. This highly anticipated booking will be the first tasting experience to focus on the Devil Proof label, beginning with a glass of grower Champagne, followed by a selection of current and rare library vintages including the record-setting 100-point wines—all served alongside paired cheese and charcuterie.
In addition to the new tasting experience, Devil Proof announces an expansion of their portfolio with the launch of Cima Ladera, a proprietary blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec, inspired by the unique grand cru site of Farrow Ranch and global winemaking experience of founder Jesse Katz. The name of the new release, which translates to “top/peak/pinnacle” (Cima) and “hilltop/hillside” (Ladera), reflects the grape sourcing of the wine, which comes exclusively from the higher vines within the esteemed Farrow Ranch—itself part of the upstart Pocket Peak area that the Devil Proof team has championed. This fusion of ideas captures the essence of this exceptional wine—a pinnacle of excellence, proudly perched on the vineyard’s highest hillside.
“Our new tasting experience at the estate and the release of Cima Ladera mark a really important moment for this brand, and I’m incredibly thrilled for the continued evolution of the Devil Proof label,” noted Founder and Winemaker Jesse Katz, “Our more intimate and involved work with Farrow Ranch these past couple of years, since acquiring the 80 acre vineyard ranch in 2021, has yielded some tremendous fruit for this new wine, while our library of back vintages for the label has gotten to a point where we finally feel ready—and excited—to share these bottles within the context of an elevated, wide-ranging experience.”
Devil Proof was founded by Jesse Katz, the acclaimed winemaker behind the Aperture Cellars brand, in 2012 as a label dedicated to producing singular expressions of Malbecs and Malbec blends from the best vineyard sites in California. Each Devil Proof wine features a photo of a Cuban woman with a cigar captured by renowned photographer—and Jesse’s father—Andy Katz. The brand ethos and artwork for the label embody the spirit of the Cuban saying, “If you live well, drink well, the devil can’t get ya.”
Cima Ladera joins the two other wines in a Devil Proof lineup that have garnered critical acclaim over the years. Devil Proof wines have consistently been the most awarded expression of the varietal coming out of the state—the 2018 Farrow Ranch Malbec received 100 points from both The Wine Advocate and Jeb Dunnuck, the latter of whom noted “I’d put this in the running for one of the greatest Malbec ever produced.” It is the highest rated Malbec in the history of California five years running for both Wine Advocate and Jeb Dunnuck.
This limited-time tasting is priced at $195 per person; reservations are open today and will be available throughout January. Consumers who wish to reserve a Devil Proof experience can do so on the Aperture Cellars Tock reservations page.
ABOUT DEVIL PROOF VINEYARDS
There’s an old saying that goes: “Live well, drink well, the devil can’t get ya. And if the devil can’t get you, you’re devil proof.” In the context of grape growing, a Devil Proof wine is an elixir of life, born of the fruit from vines that live and drink well and keep you safe from the devil—however you interpret that. During the harvests Jesse Katz spent in Argentina at Bodega Noemia and Viña Cobos, he sat at the table with the best makers of Malbec and Malbec blends in the world—tasting the finest examples the variety has been known to produce. Over the years, his passion for this varietal only intensified, and he dreamed of pushing the limits of what the grape could achieve in California soils under the California sun. Only when Jesse discovered a plot of unique Malbec vines rooted in the rocky volcanic soils of Farrow Ranch in the Alexander Valley did he become convinced that crafting a world-class Malbec in America was possible. The vineyard-designated wines produced for the Devil Proof labels offer interpretations as singular expressions of each site—of grapes grown within the ecosystems of those vineyards. That saying—the name of one of Andy Katz’s most acclaimed photos from their Cuba jaunt—now graces the front label of all Devil Proof wines.
