Arietta Red Wine H Block Hudson Vineyards 2000. The “H Block” designation was first added to the Arietta Red Wine label in this vintage, and honors the extraordinary, 2.3 acre Cabernet Franc block at the top of the Hudson Ranch in Napa/Carneros which forms the core of the wine. This is another miraculously rich and dramatically aromatic Arietta, and once again is a product of a relatively cool and late vintage. Critic Robert Parker gave the 2000 Arietta H Block the highest score of any Napa Red Wine in the 2000 vintage. The blend is 50% Cabernet Franc and 50% Merlot. This wine has harmonized beautifully in the bottle and is hard to resist, though should evolve for another five or ten years. (600 cases)
Arietta Red Wine Variation One 2000. The first vintage for this revolutionary blend of Merlot (70%) and Syrah (30%). Winemaker John Kongsgaard experimented with blending Merlot with Syrah beginning in the 1996 vintage, and liked the complexity gained by adding the wild, leathery, gamy, and floral qualities of Syrah to the luscious, more fruit-driven flavors of Merlot. Arietta Variation One has been a great success, and tasters have noted that the somewhat richer and grainier tannins of the Syrah make this wine particularly good with grilled meats and game. Bottle aging is needed to subdue the tannins provided by the Syrah. This has now happened to the 2000 Variation One, and the wine is well harmonized, approachable, and most appealing. Drink with aeration prior to serving, or await several years’ further evolution. (500 cases)