2021 Aperture Cellars Cabernet Sauvignon Farrow Ranch Vineyard

The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Farrow Ranch is entirely Cabernet Sauvignon grown on volcanic soils and was raised in 80% new French oak. They opted not to make this wine in 2020 due to the effects of the fires, and this is a spectacular return for the wine. It pours an opaque red color and takes some time to coax open in the glass as it begins to reveal a more brooding, introspective profile, with sappy notes of lavender oils, menthol, blackcurrant, leather, and toasted cedar. Fleshy and full, it fills the palate and builds in structure through the mid-palate, with an underlying gravelly texture, and a long, earth-toned finish. It demands time in the cellar to unfurl and release some of its grip. Drink 2027-2057. Jesse Katz and winemaker Hillary Sjolund are producing some of Sonoma's best examples of Bordeaux-inspired blends today. The wines offer hedonistic pleasure across the range, offering high-octane power balanced with superb elegance, and their top reds have significant aging potential. They are continuing to offer blockbuster wines, especially their 2021 releases.

The 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon Farrow Ranch is the first estate Cabernet from Aperture, which recently purchased Farrow Ranch in Alexander Valley. "Now that we have ownership of the estate," winemaker Jesse Katz says with a smile, "we have access to blocks we never had access to before." Vines grow on iron-rich volcanic soil, and the wine was matured for 22 months in 80% new French oak. It has ringing aromas that are incredibly pure: blueberries, peppermint patty, black licorice and violet unfurl to singular tones of Wagyu beef, truffle, coffee beans and mossy bark. The full-bodied palate features concentrated fruit supported by velvety tannins and a seamless spine of freshness that drives the wine. It gains intensity and detail as it spends time in the glass and will be long lived in the cellar. 390 cases were made.