2018 Arietta Quartet Red Wine Napa Valley 750 ml

There’s no winery in Napa Valley we delight in introducing wine lovers to more than Arietta. It’s one of Napa’s under-the-radar greats: Boasting the incredible talent of multi-100-point winemaker Andy Erickson and sourced from some of the Valley’s most coveted vineyards, their wines inspire a devotion among Napa insiders that few other wineries can match.

Robert Parker declared that Arietta’s “striking offerings have a European sensitivity for elegance, structure, and delineation, but are clearly products of California,” a sentiment echoed by Wine Enthusiast in their praise for the 2018: They gave it 95 points and named it a Cellar Selection, praising its “complex structure and grace” and “lush richness.” Critic Jeb Dunnuck called this release “undeniably delicious.”

The 2018’s incredible combination of value, pedigree, and class is why we choose to pour Quartet for our most avid collector friends, regardless of whether they’ve got more love for Bordeaux or California Cabernet. It’s got deeply layered aromas of black currants, Brooks plums, musky vanilla beans, and graphite, which unfurl in the glass and preview the expansive palate to come. The wine is pleasantly structured, with a velvety texture cloaking a tannic frame that promises years of development. 

Quartet’s name is an homage to founder and legendary auctioneer Fritz Hatton’s love of classical music. It also refers to the four grapes used in the classic Left Bank blend—Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot—which come from some of Napa’s finest vineyards. The 2018 is composed mainly of Cabernet Sauvignon from the Two Belles Vineyard in Coombsville, while the Merlot and Cabernet Franc hail from the iconic Hudson Vineyard in Carneros—an ideal spot for both varieties.