This is such a bright, lively wine, and it seems to get better with each vintage. It’s wonderfully expressive, marked by saline-acid tension, white flowers, and crushed almonds, with a generous richness on the palate that layers citrus and stone fruit into a long, mineral-driven finish. The 2024 Aperture Chenin Blanc comes from the Clarksburg AVA near California’s Sierra Foothills. Winemaker Jesse Katz notes that the 40-year-old, dry-farmed vines there benefit from cooling breezes funneled in from the San Joaquin River Valley. Fermentations were carried out in a mix of 30% new French oak, 30% once-used French oak, 25% neutral French oak, and 15% concrete tank. The season began with some hydric stress, as rains tapered off around March, leaving berries and clusters on the smaller side; late-season heat helped push ripeness. Katz discovered this grape on a challenge from a restaurateur who needed a white wine by the glass for oysters. He knew he wanted to work with old-vine Chenin Blanc—much of which is planted in Clarksburg near Sacramento—and, following a tip, he found this site and produced the first vintage in 2016.