Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2010 Arietta 750ml

Description: Arietta is a super ultra-premium Napa Valley winery specializing in limited production Bordeaux-style blends. Family owned by the famous auctioneer and wine specialist Fritz Hatton and his wife Caren. The history of Arietta is nothing short of amazing, starting with a partnership with winemaker John Kongsgaard and consulting viticulturist David Abreu. The goal of working with these two Napa Valley giants is to help Fritz find the perfect place to grow vines for his terroir-driven character-rich wines.

The Cabernet Sauvignon is currently farmed on lower Howell Mountain by Andy Erickson (Sixth vintage as Arietta’s winemaker), The meticulous practices employed by Abreu are still being used today by his predecessor. Perfectly ripe fruit, and the particular soil and exposure to sun produce a sensationally seductive and expressive wine.

"The 2010 Cabernet Sauvignon from Arietta is remarkable for its seemingly incongruous - and yet delightful - density, opacity, and brightness. The growing season was particularly mild, with a slow, steady accumulation of heat, and gentle, textbook ripening of color and tannin. In Coombsville, the gravelly, volcanic soils naturally moderated the crop level, and the cool temperatures made for very balanced, dark, aromatic wines. In the end, the pure Cabernet Sauvignon we produced from our 2-acre block of Clone 337 stood alone as the best expression of the variety in this unique vintage, so in the end the wine is not a blend of varieties, as is our usual practice. The wine has near-black purple color, the hue reflecting the wine's power and energy. The aromatics are intense and expressive, ranging from flint, earth, and chaparral, to fresh blueberries, kirsch, vanilla bean and campfire. These many layers continue to the palate, and, along with a dense, rich mid-palate, the wine is alive and fresh in terms of acidity. This wine will benefit from aging, as it is packed with potential." - Andy Erickson, Winemaker