7 Best White Wines to Drink in Winter 2026

Aperture Cellars is named to honor photographer Andy Katz whose art photography can be found in galleries, coffee table books, and album covers. His work travels took him and his young son Jesse around the world and exposed the latter to the world of fine wine. Now an acclaimed winemaker in his own right, Jesse crafts outstanding vintages for own projects as well as for some of California’s best known wine labels. This stunning white is a blend of 82 percent Sauvignon Blanc and 18 percent Semillon. It has aromas of grapefruit, lemon zest, and citrus blossoms that transfer to the palate with ease, bright acidity, and a touch of salinity in the finish.

The Planeta family has been producing wine in Sicily for 17 generations over the last five centuries, but it wasn’t until 1995 that the family established their own winery in Ulmo, Sicily. Today winemaking is carried out by Alessio Planeta and Hungarian-born Patricia Toth. This 100 percent Chardonnay has aromas and flavors of apricot, almond paste, yellow peach, and acacia flowers. It is creamy and full bodied with a pleasant closing burst of bright acidity.

In 1998 Steve Dutton and Dan Goldfield took their friendship to the next level and created their eponymous wine company on a simple handshake. It has grown immensely in less than three decades with 80 vineyards spread over 1,000 acres in the Russian River Valley. Steve’s father Warren Dutton began growing grapes in Russian River Valley in the 1960s and Dan worked at Robert Mondavi Winery, Schramsberg, La Crema, and Harford Court—so the duo’s success is no mystery. Their 2023 Dutton Ranch Chardonnay has aromas of lemon zest, Fuji apple, and vanilla with bright acidity and flavors of caramelized pineapple, fresh ginger, citrus blossoms, and just a touch of salinity in the finish.

Founded by Louis Henry Denis Jadot in 1859, Louis Jadot is one of the largest producers in the Cote d’Or with 140 acres in some of the best Burgundian AOCs. Hailing from one of our favorite appellations this Chassagne-Montrachet has aromas of lemon zest, crushed oyster shells, toasted almonds, and orange blossoms. It is well rounded with creamy texture and flavors of yellow peach, flan, and brown baking spices with a nice burst of acidity in the post palate.

Gaja is well known by collectors and lovers of fine wines from Piedmont. Angelo Gaja is considered the first winemaker to produce single vineyard wines in the region and was one of the first to plant Bordeaux varietals and use French barrels for aging. Today Gaja is run by his children Gaia, Rossana, and Giovanni who oversee 240 acres of vines in the Barolo and Barbaresco DOCGs as well as Sicily and Tuscany. This white blend is made from grapes from the family’s Bolgheri estate and has aromas of honeydew, white peach, and grapefruit pith. It has balanced acidity with flavors of apricot, melon, and orange blossom. 

Real estate investor John Benson purchased 216 acres in 1880 with the intention to grow grapes to make raisins, but a few years later he decided to make wine instead. He settled on the name Far Niente because he liked he Italian saying, “dolce far niente,” which roughly translates as the “sweetness of doing nothing.” Far Niente 2023 Chardonnay has enticing aromas of cantaloupe melon, white peach, and citrus blossoms that transfer seamlessly to the palate with the addition of verbena, Bartlett pear, and lemon curd. Drink now or lay down for a few years.

Archery Summit prides itself on the pursuit of sustainability with many of its vineyards certified LIVE (Low Input Viticulture & Enology.) This means that they focus on biodiversity, soil propagation, clonal selection, and minimal treatments for pests and molds. Winemaker Kim Abrahams began this initiative in 1993 and with the help of her team she is still going strong. Archery Summit 2023 Chardonnay has aromas of Anjou pear, citrus blossom, and mandarin zest with balanced acidity and flavors of honeydew and cantaloup melons, candied orange peel, and brown baking spices.