California winemaker jesse katz turns tradition on its head with 'collage' blends

Jesse Katz has always had an eye for the camera lens, thanks to his photographer father Andy, who captured iconic images of vineyards around the world. So it's no surprise the young Colorado native found himself among the finest grapes from a young age.

From burgundy to sonoma county

At 12, glasses of wine suddenly appeared in front of him in Burgundy, sparking his first introduction to the drink. Fast forward to 2009, and Katz was a winemaker in his own right, having worked at some of the world's most prestigious vineyards. His Aperture Cellars in Healdsburg, California, was a nod to his father's photography and a metaphor for Katz's own approach.

In photography, an aperture is the camera's pupil, controlling the flow of light. Similarly, Katz considers each of his 300 individual lots across 5 AVAs, with soil diversity rivaling France, to craft wines that evoke 'a sense of place and time' every year.

His strategy has paid off, with every vintage since 2018 earning 100 points, setting records in the region. But Katz isn't resting on his laurels. He's turned tradition on its head with his 'Collage' blends, a departure from single-vineyard or single-variety wines.

This year's releases, a red and white proprietary blend, build on the success of last year's vintage, which Katz deems 'one of the greatest vintages we've seen in California in a long time.' The red, a Cabernet Sauvignon-based blend, is muscular yet lithe, while the white, a Sauvignon Blanc-dominated mix, is textured and nuanced with papaya and lemon notes.

Katz's approach is a bold statement, embracing complexity and harmony over exclusivity. As he puts it, 'Instead of having any limitations of varietal appellation, what if I tried to make the absolute best, no-holds-barred blend from the best lots, one white, one red each year?'

Word count: 540