Aperture Winery Unveils 'Collage,' A New Chapter In Sonoma Winemaking

Forbes

13-05-2025

Aperture Cellars Collage
Aperture Cellars has never shied away from blending art and wine—but with Collage, its most ambitious release to date, the Sonoma winery founded by Jesse Katz is taking that philosophy to soaring new heights. Officially launched on May 3 with a vibrant celebration at the Aperture Estate, Collage is more than just a pair of wines. It's a statement—on craftsmanship, on terroir, and on the cultural power of creative expression.
'This is the next chapter,' says Katz. 'We've looked at over 300 different lots to create these two unique, proprietary wines. There are no boundaries to this project—only the goal of making the best wine possible from a single vintage.'
Aperture Cellars Collage
The new Collage collection includes two inaugural wines: the 2022 Proprietary White Wine ($375/3-pack) and the 2021 Proprietary Red Wine ($1,275/3-pack), both available beginning May 13 via aperture-cellars.com/collage.
These aren't simple blends—they're labor-intensive, high-concept creations that draw from over 200 acres across five distinct Sonoma AVAs, including estate vines planted as far back as 1912. From over 300 individual vineyard lots, Katz and his team selected only the finest barrels to create what he calls 'a sense of time'—a bottled snapshot of a singular vintage, refined by meticulous craftsmanship.
'There's no recipe to this,' Katz says. 'If I can't make something perfect from a vintage, we won't bottle it.'
Aperture Collage
The 2022 Proprietary White Wine, made entirely from Sauvignon Blanc, was aged for 18 months in barrel and then transferred to custom-made concrete vessels for six more months of refinement. The result is a white wine with precision, polish, and unexpected depth. It's vibrant yet rich—layered with tropical fruit, citrus, green papaya, and a distinctive lemon meringue note, all buoyed by a subtle mineral finish courtesy of the concrete aging.
'It's unlike any white wine I've ever tasted,' Katz says. 'Bright, focused, and full of richness. There's nothing else like it.'
The 2021 Collage Proprietary Red is a striking study in balance—intensely structured yet polished, with deep concentration and finesse. Crafted from select hillside vineyard sites and aged for two years in barrel followed by six months in concrete and an additional year in bottle, the wine offers a rich tapestry of dark fruit, savory spice, and integrated tannins.
'This is not just a powerful wine—it's a focused one,' Katz says. 'The concrete aging adds lift and texture, allowing the components to marry together and evolve as one.' The wine's extended aging and complex construction showcase Katz's deep global winemaking experience—now over 25 harvests strong—and his dedication to redefining what California blends can be.
Aperture Cellars Collage
True to its name, Collage is also a visual masterpiece. Designed in collaboration with Katz's father, renowned photographer Andy Katz, the label features more than 20 of Andy's images layered together using a camera shutter motif. It took seven production passes, custom die cuts, and new label technology just to bring it to life.
'No one's ever made a label like this,' says Katz. 'It's as ambitious as the wine inside.'
Each bottle is sealed with hand-dipped wax and exudes tactile artistry—intended to mirror the sensory depth of the wines themselves.
While Aperture's prior wines have always been site-driven and varietally focused, Collage represents a more avant-garde evolution—one where boundaries are removed and creativity is the only rule. It's a collection rooted in Sonoma's storied soils but expressed through Katz's global perspective and bold sense of innovation.
'Sonoma County still has that spirit of discovery,' Katz says. 'It allows us to be pioneers and create something truly new, while honoring those who came before us.'