Arietta - Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley 2019

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98 Points, Jeb Dunnuck: "The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon is brilliant. Deep purple-hued, with incredible cassis and blueberry fruit as well as tobacco, graphite, damp earth, leather, and violets, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a round, layered, seamless texture, ultra-fine tannins, and a great, great finish. This tour de force is going to evolve gracefully for 30 years or more. It's one of the finest wines I've tasted from this estate."

Arietta Description

Notes from Arietta Winemaker Andy Erickson: The grapes from our Coombsville blocks of Cabernet Sauvignon produced wines of remarkable density, but with a degree of nuance and precision that makes them both exciting and immediately gratifying. Native yeast fermentation, barrel aging for 20 months in French oak, and bottling without filtration or fining help to highlight the sense of terroir and varietal purity. Signature aromas of black fruits, ripe cherry, graphite, and licorice are the first descriptors that come to mind. But right underneath are notes of black tea, subtle fresh sage, currant, and iron oxide. This young wine continues to open in the glass, which bodes well for its future in the cellar. On the palate, there is ample acidity, working to sharpen the focus and to excite the taste buds. Even given its dark, opaque nature, the wine has loads of bright aromatic energy that carries through all the way to the finish. Strongly Californian in nature, this is a vintage that also appeals to our Francophile sensibilities, with its freshness, aromatic brightness, and yes—balance.

While showy and enjoyable with a decanting in its youth, this wine should age well in bottle for at least two decades, probably longer.

Blend: 100% Cabernet Sauvignon / Fruit Sources: Meteor and Two Belles Farms Vineyards, Coombsville / Vine Age: 20 years and 6 years, respectively / Elevage: 22 months in French Oak Barrels, 75% new / Production: 187 cases of bottles.

Jeb Dunnuck: 98 Points

The 2019 Cabernet Sauvignon is brilliant. Deep purple-hued, with incredible cassis and blueberry fruit as well as tobacco, graphite, damp earth, leather, and violets, it hits the palate with full-bodied richness, a round, layered, seamless texture, ultra-fine tannins, and a great, great finish. This tour de force is going to evolve gracefully for 30 years or more. It's one of the finest wines I've tasted from this estate.