Collage by Aperture Cellars
The award winning Sonoma County winery debuts a luxurious new wine portfolio
Aperture Cellars captures snapshots of their wine story from many angles. At their Healdsburg winery the main building, designed by Juancarlos Fernandez of Signum Architecture, focuses on bringing natural light inside. The architecture evokes the image of a camera aperture that opens to reveal an optimal view of the vines. On a recent May afternoon, Aperture Cellars opened the massive doors of their tasting lounges for a colorful celebration to debut the award winning winemakers newest vintages, that bring together Aperture’s focus on the visual arts with the art of blending for a new, aptly named, Collage portfolio.
During the festivities, Aperture invited artists Ricky Watts and Saree Robinson to create works with views of the vines. Watts live painted his signature dynamic fluid shapes, while Robinson collaged a collaborative canvas with fragments of maps chosen by the guests. Evan Phillips, known as DJ Truthlive, kept the energy high with tracks from the special edition Collage Aperture playlist and records made in conjunction for the release.
Under the warm glow of the midday sun, Aperture founder and winemaker, Jesse Katz, looked around the exuberant crowd of colorfully dressed guests. Collage represents a long-awaited personal project. “Honestly, it’s a mix of excitement, pride, and even a bit of vulnerability,” he says. “It’s not just a wine, it’s a piece of art. It stands apart from everything we’ve done at Aperture because it’s a true fusion of winemaking and creative expression.”
This merging of viniculture and visual arts lies at the heart of every aspect of Aperture.
From a young age Katz’s frequent travels with his photographer father inspired a passion for exploration and the creative process, eventually leading him to his chosen medium, wine. Andy Katz’s photographs are prominently exhibited throughout the winery, on each Aperture bottle, and now layered in tiny kaleidoscopic fragments on the new Collage bottles. The label design—by Chuck House—features a compilation of hundreds of Andy Katz’s photographs captured around the world, juxtaposed with the organic movement of wax dripping on six separate labels pieces that compose the shape of a geometric camera shutter.
The night before, Katz paired Collage for the first time with Douglas Keane’s Michelin Star tasting experience, Cyrus. “Seeing it come to life is a reminder of how much this journey has meant to me, from the vineyard rows to the cellar, and I couldn’t be prouder of what we’ve created,” says Katz. “From the layered vineyard selections to the intricate, collage-style label featuring my father’s photography, every detail is a reflection of our passion for storytelling.”
Katz spent many hours with Aperture Director of Winemaking Hillary Sjolund, bringing together the many elements that blended together, creating their image of Collage. “Jesse and I approached this project with a sense of curiosity and exploration,” says Sjolund. “We both agreed that if we could not make a wine that truly captivated and inspired us, then we would not pursue the endeavor.”
For two months Katz and Sjolund blindly tasted over 350 lots with the goal to determine which wines sparked their passion and evoked emotion for crafting their ideal blend. “We did not want any bias or constraints put on these sections. With each evaluation, we were looking for an expression of place, and sense of time from the vintage, and revelation of the varieties,” says Sjolund.
Once Katz and Sjolund selected each wine, they embarked on a deep dive into individual barrel selections within the lot. “Each lot has different cooperage applications to help lift and frame each of the wines to express their own unique personality,” says Sjolund. “The barrel selection process took several weeks to complete, as we intricately blended small percentages from individual barrels to create the perfect mosaic of flavor, texture, and aroma. To date, this has been the most intimate blending experience we have embarked on, and we are so proud to share it with the world.”
At Aperture, the Collage portfolio paints a new expression highlighting over a decade of precision farming, winemaking innovation and creative vision. The painstakingly crafted wines honor the complexity of Sonoma’s terroir while harnessing the power of diverse of elements, featuring selections from over 300 individual lots, five distinct appellations on over 200 acres of vineyards, including estate vines planted back in 1912.
The 2022 Proprietary White wine blends sauvignon blanc grapes sourced from dramatically diverse sites from the 2021 vintage that have been aged for 18 months in barrel followed by six months in Apertures custom concrete vessels. The concrete adds layers of complexity. The 2021 Proprietary Red blend is aged for 24 months in barrel, six months in custom concrete vessels, and one year in bottle, bringing Katz and Sjolund’s favorite components culled into their ideal vision.
The inaugural vintage Collage collection includes the 2022 Proprietary White Wine, three box set ($375) and the 2021 Proprietary Red Wine, three box set ($1,275). The much anticipated first release is now available on Aperture’s site, and will be available later this summer at their estate tasting room. Aperture range of wines feature Bordeaux style wines from chenin blanc and sauvignon blanc, red varietials and cabernet sauvignon.
At the celebration—surrounded by collectors, chefs, artists, musicians, family, and friends—Katz stands a few hundred feet from the home where lives with his family among the vines. “I want my kids to grow up surrounded by creativity, passion, and the freedom to explore who they are,” says Katz. “Whether they become winemakers, photographers, or follow an entirely different path, I just hope they carry the same sense of curiosity and appreciation for artistry that defines everything we do here.”
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