Arietta Artists’ Reserve “On the White Keys” 2017
Like its siblings, the Arietta On The White Keys Artists’ Reserve stands apart as a result of barrel selection, extended aging, and the use of a higher percentage of new French oak. Subscribers who have purchased the White Keys Reserve since its debut in the 2010 vintage are well aware of the intriguing and varied personalities of this wine in each vintage—a gaggle of talented musical offspring, all having mastered different instruments. However unique the White Keys Reserves all brim with freshness and reward with breadth and grandeur, thanks to the intense hillside Sauvignon Blanc, barrel fermentation, and dry honey character of the Semillon. We rack the barrels selected for the Reserve White Keys into second use French Oak Barrels for an additional eight months’ aging, and bottle the second winter following harvest. In so doing the White Keys Reserve attains greater depth and polish than the White Keys, and needs several years’ bottle age to reach its apogee.
Arietta winemaker Andy Erickson notes:
For the Arietta On the White Keys “Artist’s Reserve” bottling, we select the most energetic, age-worthy lots from the vintage and assemble a special blend that receives an extra six to twelve months of barrel age. The result is a wine with added texture and depth, but with all the inherent brightness and unrestrained aromatics that these varieties provide. Grapefruit zest and lemon grass notes jump from the glass, and on the palate the wine shows amazing length and intensity. The extended aging imparts a richness and generosity that is very appealing, with layers of nutmeg, candied orange peel, matchstick, and confectioner’s sugar. This wine will most certainly continue to develop and gain complexity in bottle for years to come.”
Blend: 85% Sauvignon Blanc and 15% Semillon
Production: 128 cases
Price: $85 / 750ml bottle