Accolades
Wine Enthusiast
Winemaker of the Year Jesse Katz Is Racking Up Perfect Scores
Over the past few years, the 2025 Winemaker of the Year has partnered with celebrities to launch brands and raise tons of money for charity.
The Wine Advocate
California, Sonoma County: Devil Proof's 2023s
The cool, late growing season in 2023 allowed founder and head winemaker Jesse Katz and director of winemaking Hillary Sjolund to craft wines that are slightly lower in alcohol and have underlying savory and mineral character, offering another facet of site expression from two vineyards in northern Sonoma County: Farrow Ranch in Alexander Valley and Rockpile Ridge in the Rockpile appellation.
Forbes
Meet The Winemaker Changing The Face Of Sonoma Wine
A growing number of Sonoma wineries are earning critical acclaim, including rare 100-point scores, and one of the key figures driving this evolution is winemaker Jesse Katz of Aperture Cellars.
N Focus
Crushing It: A Conversation with Jesse Katz of Aperture Cellars
Jesse’s passion for wine-making started at an early age. His father — award-winning photographer Andy Katz — traveled the world with his wife and young Andy in tow. Jesse lived what many would consider a fairytale life.
WWD
Inside the World of Celebrity Wine Collaborations with Jesse Katz
Jesse Katz starts each celebrity wine project from scratch. “Everything I do is custom,” the founder of the Sonoma County winery Aperture told WWD.
Curator
Travel Experiences that Shaped a Winemaker: Curated by Jesse Katz
The winemaker visited more than 80 countries by the time he was 18. Here are some of the experiences that most impacted him. Page 36-37.
Condé Nast Traveler
The Best Places to Go in the US in 2025
Pocket Peak wines will consist largely of Merlots and Cabernet Sauvignons from sought-after producers such as Skipstone Vineyard, Stonestreet, and Devil Proof Vineyards—and these wineries are stepping into the moment with grabby offerings.
BHL Magazine
Devil Proof: The proof is in the Malbec
The real story begins in 1997 in Havana, Cuba where celebrated photographer Andy Katz brought his future first generation winemaker son Jesse to a country famed for celebrating life to its fullest.
The Wine Independent
Spotlight on Aperture and Devil Proof
“If you haven’t heard of Jesse Katz yet, you soon will. He’s one of northern California’s most talented young winemakers with a natural eye for unique sites in Sonoma and Napa.”
Forbes.com
Becoming Devil Proof With California Malbec
Jesse Katz’s resume as a winemaker reads like a superstar in the making - from time spent at Pétrus in Bordeaux, California cult legend Screaming Eagle to stellar Argentina wineries Viña Cobos and Bodega Noemia...
“The wines are brilliant and unquestionably some of the finest expressions of Malbec out there."
—Jeb DunnuckScores
2023 Devil Proof Farrow Ranch Vineyard Block 17 Malbec,
Farrow Ranch
2023 Devil Proof Farrow Ranch Vineyard Blocks 18 & 19 Malbec & Cabernet Sauvignon,
Farrow Ranch
2023 Devil Proof Rockpile Ridge Vineyard Block 5 Malbec,
Rockpile
“The 2018 Malbec Farrow Ranch from Devil Proof is the best example of 100% Malbec I've ever tasted.”
—Erin Brooks, Robert Parker’s The Wine Advocate