Galloni: "Gorgeous," "open-knit and seductive"
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2015 Arietta Red Wine H Block Hudson Vineyards Napa Valley 750 ml
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- Get credited back if a wine fails to impress
One of Napa Valley’s Defining Wines
Arietta’s H Block Red is one of the finest wines made in Napa Valley. It’s the bottle we open for pure pleasure, not to mention to dazzle my Bordeaux- and California-collecting friends. It has thrilled Wine Access members to the tune of a 4.5-out-of-5 rating.
We are so fortunate that Arietta proprietors Fritz and Caren Hatton gave us the very last of their stunning 2015, straight from their cellar in St. Helena. Crafted by 100-point winemaker Andy Erickson and praised by Vinous as “gorgeous” and “seductive,” this blend of Cabernet Franc and Merlot is as close as California comes to Bordeaux’s Château Cheval Blanc.
Arietta has an exclusive lease on Hudson Vineyards’ H Block, whose volcanic soils, southwestern exposure, and cool Carneros climate make it one of the finest spots in the New World to grow Cab Franc. For the Red Wine H Block, the grapes come from vines planted three decades ago using To Kalon and Eisele Vineyard cuttings. They’re co-fermented with Merlot from adjacent G and I Blocks before the wine spends 20 months in mostly new French oak. It’s then bottled unfined and unfiltered.
Now, after years in the Arietta cellar, this bottle is absolutely singing. It’s the kind of California red that can win over staunch Bordeaux devotees and still knock the socks off Napa Cab lovers. We were lucky to have this allocation, and you’ll love having it in your collection.