Arietta 'H Block Hudson Vineyards' Cabernet Franc - Merlot, Napa Valley, USA

點(diǎn)擊次數(shù)：4904

The opaque purple-colored 2001 Arietta (60% Merlot and 40% Cabernet Franc) was very closed when I tasted it. Tightly wound, with dense, full-bodied notes of black fruits, charcoal, smoke, earth, and pain grille, it is big and rich, but tight, structured, and backward. Give it 3-5 years of cellaring, and drink it over the following 12-15. I do not believe it will ever achieve the aromatic complexity exhibited by the 2000. Winemaker and part owner, John Kongsgaard, produces these wines in partnership with auctioneer, Fritz Hatton. They are all fashioned from fruit grown in the “H Block” of the Hudson Vineyard, the highest point on that large ranch. The vineyard is planted in white volcanic ash-dominated soils. The Cabernet Franc/Merlot blend is the Arietta and the Syrah/Merlot blend is named Variation One. These striking offerings have a European sensitivity for elegance, structure, and delineation, but are clearly products of California, as evidenced by their prodigious ripeness as well as intensity. They are expensive, but impressive efforts that should be long-lived.Fax (707) 963-4512