The Future Of Cabernet Is Currently Under Appreciated: Point Your Compass West

Planting a vineyard teaches patience. The order of operations usually begins many years earlier, when the goal is set to have the capital necessary to acquire the land. That in itself is a great feat. Soils must be exposed and studied, then the decision of what grape(s) to grow. And a strong understanding of weather patterns, coupled with potential exposure directions must be considered, debated, and painstakingly decided upon. These decisions are not easily undone. Vineyards are planted for the future. Today, what future we are planting vineyards for, is one of the biggest decisions to weigh for all vigneron, winemakers, and land owners in the wine industry.

'According to Dan Berger, Sonoma resident, and former wine columnist for the L.A. Times, “varietal wines (wines made from one grape only, and labeled as such) were considered to be aberrations.” The field blend was the order of the day. However, in the 1870s, an outfit called Dunfillan made a varietal Cabernet Sauvignon in the booming Sonoma Valley."'

*quote referenced from wine4food.com

It's natural for your mind to go to Napa Valley when you think of California Cabernet. The energy surrounding Napa wines intensified following the 1976 Judgement Of Paris, and today is regarded as one of the top luxury wine regions on the planet. So it's no surprise, star winemaker Jesse Katz took the opportunity to hone in his winemaking with multiple tours of duty at famous Napa wineries before founding his own winery, Aperture Cellars. His strong resumé speaks for itself, working for wineries such as Lancaster Estate, Viña Cobos, Bodega Noemia, Château Petrus, and Screaming Eagle.

“I’ve been blessed to work and train in some of the world’s best wineries and appellations, from Screaming Eagle in Napa Valley to Pétrus in Pomerol. This has allowed me to focus my passion and skill on fine winemaking — winemaking that is dedicated to reflecting the land, vineyards and climates that grow the fruit, while keeping the winemaking very natural.”

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Jesse and his father, acclaimed photographer Andy Katz, Co-Founded Aperture Cellars together in 2009. The question I had been waiting a few years to ask Jesse: "Why Sonoma?" I had my suspicions, but boy did I loved his answer:

"Obviously Napa has made a name for itself with Cabernet, but its getting warmer and dryer and the barrier of entry for someone who is not born into wine or come from a lot of money is too high over there. If I was to start it all over today, Napa's prices are 2-3 times higher than Sonoma for an acre of the same quality of land on average. There's no way I could create what I did in Napa with the prices because I had to bootstrap this project from the ground up and used my day job of making wines for others to fund my passion. Here are some reasons we chose Alexander Valley...The hills of Alexander Valley have a lot of volcanic soils, and the southern exposures are a lot like Pritchard Hill AVA in Napa. The daytime highs are quite similar to Oakville, but the nights are usually at least 10 degrees cooler! It takes longer to heat up, and is quicker to cool down. The potential for this area is limitless and I truly think some of the best Cabernets in the world are coming from some of the unique sites we have found."

In addition to being the founder & winemaker Aperture Cellars, Jesse also owns and makes wines for Devil Proof Vineyards, The Setting Wines, and J. Katz Wine Consulting. In 2016, He partnered with Denver Broncos Super Bowl MVP Von Miller to create The Setting Cabernet Sauvignon, and set a record selling a Six-Liter of their 2019 "Glass Slipper" Cabernet at auction for $1,000,000. He also consults on wine projects for Tony Hawk & Justin Timberlake, and others throughout the Sonoma & Napa Valley. Jesse has a strong love and respect for Napa terroir, the vineyards and the people, but Sonoma's Alexander Valley embodies the environment of now to make great wine, with sights set to producing top wines of the future as well. Make sure your compass is set West of the Mayacamas Mountains. The future of Cabernet is in good hands.