Devil Proof Vineyards Releases Its 2024 Sonoma Malbec — and the Season Mirrors the Vintage That Won the Judgment of Paris
Jesse Katz's cult California Malbec brand releases three 2024 wines on November 3, drawn from Alexander Valley and Rockpile Ridge. The growing season closely mirrored 1974 Napa conditions — the vintage that produced the Cabernet Sauvignon victorious at the 1976 Judgment of Paris.
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Devil Proof, the California Malbec brand created by first-generation winemaker Jesse Katz, is releasing three wines from the 2024 vintage on November 3. The brand takes its name from a 1997 trip Jesse took to Cuba with his father, celebrated photographer Andy Katz, where a photograph of a charismatic Cuban woman titled Devil Proof became the foundation for his pursuit of world-class Malbec in California.
The 2024 growing season brought warm, steady conditions that allowed Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec to ripen fully while retaining freshness, acidity, and structure. Jesse tracks growing degree days to understand how each season shapes the vines — and 2024 closely mirrored conditions recorded in Napa Valley in 1974, the vintage that produced the Cabernet Sauvignon later victorious at the 1976 Judgment of Paris.
The 2024 release includes three wines: the Devil Proof Farrow Ranch Vineyard Block 17 Malbec from Alexander Valley AVA; the Farrow Ranch Vineyard Blocks 18 & 19 Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec blend from Alexander Valley AVA; and the Rockpile Ridge Block 5 Malbec from the Rockpile AVA. All three are available exclusively to Devil Proof's allocation list at devilproofvineyards.com. The allocation window runs through November 17, with shipping beginning November 30.
For those looking to discover Devil Proof firsthand, the brand also offers limited-edition tasting experiences at the Aperture estate in Healdsburg from November 2026 through February 2027. The experience includes a curated tasting of five Devil Proof wines alongside charcuterie, hosted in a private gallery lounge overlooking the Aperture Cellars vineyard. $195 per person.
The PGM Edit
Jesse Katz's cult California Malbec brand releases three 2024 wines on November 3, drawn from Alexander Valley and Rockpile Ridge. The growing season closely mirrored 1974 Napa conditions — the vintage that produced the Cabernet Sauvignon victorious at the 1976 Judgment of Paris.
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