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Creating the Aperture Red Blend is one of winemaker Jesse Katz's favorite times to get creative and allow the different vineyard lots to guide him. The 2016 blend beautifully demonstrates what we are always looking to achieve, a focused tension between the fruit's expansive power and nuanced elegance.
Four hillside Cabernet vineyard sites, all with mineral-rich volcanic soils, are always the first focus of this blend. In 2016, our Merlot harvest was particularly incredible, yielding stunning acidity with full and silky tannins. It was a perfect partner to the vivid fruit profile of our Alexander Valley Cabernet vineyards. This year's blend, 93% Cabernet, 7% Merlot, achieves an uncommon, sophisticated balance.
The unique gravely plateau that the Oliver Ranch vineyard sits on allows this extremely concentrated Cabernet to hold its acidity and freshness. This provides balance to the rich flavors of black cherry, currant, and strawberry with a complexity aided by sweet oak, crushed rock, and spice. The 11% of barrel-fermented Cabernet Franc adds a fresh floral component and brings a smooth finesse to the finish. This wine will gain depth and complexity for decades.
This exquisite site creates incredibly sexy wines with delicate, soft tannins that melt into the juicy dark fruits of this powerful Cabernet. Blackberry, blueberry pie, and lavender gain in concentration as the wine builds to a bright, long finish.
A stunning mix of tropical notes and citrus married with decadent highlights of honey on the nose. The barrel fermentation and aging create an incredible richness on the palate that is balanced by significant bright natural acidity.
This beautiful Chenin Blanc has a light honey-straw color and an aromatic array of floral notes with a core of stone fruits. The palate is a mixture of fresh peaches and Asian pear, with a minerality that is tied together by bright, natural acidity. Barrels give this wine weight and texture without covering up the beautiful tropical flavors, leaving you with a bright, fresh finish.