Aesthete is a contemporary Sonoma label built around Bennett Valley Syrah and Pinot Noir, owned by Sonoma County native Jeff Jones and crafted by Jesse Katz of Aperture Cellars. The cool, long growing season of Bennett Valley produces a Syrah profile more reminiscent of Crozes-Hermitage than California (pepper, olive, dark fruit, and firm tannin), and Katz's winemaking brings a modern, polished precision to it. A serious, underrated producer championing one of Sonoma's most underappreciated varietals, now open to the public at a creekside farm in Healdsburg.
Dry Stack Vineyard Pinot Noir, Bennett Valley: an elegant, luminous estate Pinot aged in French oak; one of two Pinots made 'two different ways.'
Barrel-Aged Sauvignon Blanc, Dry Stack Vineyard: the signature wine, a rich, textural Sauvignon Blanc whose 2019 vintage earned 97 points from Wine Advocate, its highest-rated Sauvignon Blanc of the vintage.
Dry Stack Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc: a bright, fresh stainless expression from the acclaimed Rauscedo-clone estate fruit.
Rosé of Pinot Noir, Bennett Valley: a crisp, savory dry rosé praised as among Sonoma's finest.
Pritchett Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon, Sonoma County: a deep, inky single-vineyard Cabernet.
Tastings are led by family members and wine educators on the patio, in the garden and in creekside Adirondack chairs; Introductory and Creekside visits book through the winery, and parties larger than eight call ahead.
Aesthete was founded in 2016 by Sonoma County native Jeff Jones, who had acquired the acclaimed Dry Stack Vineyard in Bennett Valley in 2013, with winemaking directed by Jesse Katz of Aperture Cellars. Jones and his brother Peter built a cult following alongside Katz, selling top-scoring, ultra-limited single-vineyard wines (Syrah, Pinot Noir, and a barrel-aged Sauvignon Blanc) directly to an exclusive member list for nearly a decade. In 2024 Jones acquired the label's Dry Creek Valley home (the former Truett-Hurst property at 5610 Dry Creek Road, with a rescued herd of goats and sheep, gardens, and a restored creek and riparian habitat where salmon, herons and otters live alongside the tasting patios), opening the once members-only label to the public for the first time. The style is modern and site-driven, designed to showcase how cool-climate Bennett Valley fruit can hold up to more opulent California expressions of the same varieties.
