Our Story:
Historically small and private by design, aesthete wines has been intensely focused on making
the best possible premium wines from our very unique and ideal site at Dry Stack Vineyard and
with the unique and special talents of our acclaimed winemaker Jesse Katz.
Each wine and vintage are meticulously developed and patiently held until the wines are truly
ready to be enjoyed. As our name invokes, we are indifferent to the impracticalities of the costs
of making and aging our wines in order to fully enable the art of Jesse’s winemaking to achieve
the most beautiful wines possible.
Then:
Sonoma County natives Jeff and Hilary Jones grew up in and around Santa Rosa’s Bennett
Valley and acquired the infamous Dry Stack Vineyard in 2013 primarily for its home and
adjacent farm and pastures for their family’s myriad of rescue animals. In addition to fostering
dogs and cats for local Dogwood Animal Rescue, Hilary and their three daughters have rescued
almost everything, from horses to ducks, to goats and pigs, a chinchilla and yes even a lemur
was nursed back to health. The number of animals that have been rescued, fostered and or
resided on the farm is well into the hundreds.
With the girls busy with animals, Jeff was focused on the vineyard and making sure it was one
of the earliest Certified Sustainable vineyards in Sonoma County. Content dealing with the
vineyard and the overwhelming demand for fruit from the acclaimed site, and the long line of
wineries wanting to source Dry Stack’s notorious Rauscedo clone Sauvignon Blanc, Jeff was
hesitant to venture into the wine business despite the numerous offers connected with the
desire for access to the Dry Stack fruit. It was not until Jeff met Jesse Katz, well over a decade
ago now, that he met someone he was interested in partnering with. They shared an intensity in
work ethic and obsessive focus on detail, and by the end of their first meeting what would
become aesthete wines was conceived.
Jesse’s laser focus on soils and site had him on a path of sourcing fruit from Sonoma County’s
most premium and unique vineyard sites and pushing the winemaking envelope in order to
showcase the quality of wines that could be produced from Sonoma County.
And Now:
After almost a decade of racking up top scores, and selling wine only direct to its exclusive
member list, Jeff realized it was time to share aesthete’s beautiful wines with everyone and
began the search that led to acquiring one of the most frequented winery and tasting rooms in
Healdsburg’s Dry Creek Valley. Ironically, the Dry Creek Road property was home to a rescue
herd of goats, which just seemed all too fitting.
In addition to an organic farm, and vineyards, the property boasts famous waterfront tasting
along Dry Creek where the hot summer days are tamed cool and relaxing by enjoying wine
tastings lounged in Adirondack chairs along the always flowing contributory creek to the
Russian River.
Combining our premium wines and the casual, relaxing and beautiful farm and gardens setting -
aesthete winery & farm is obsessively focused on providing our customers with a truly unique
and memorable experience each and every visit.
