Notes from Arietta
The summer of 2012 has brought us spectacular weather (boding well for a great harvest) and more than a few good times. Most recently Arietta hosted the inaugural Napa “Somms in the Kitchen” party, at which three top sommeliers competed as chefs for three judges and an audience of friends in wine. The picture and caption at the end of these Notes provide evidence of the marvelous times and wines shared by all.
We have much to report about the Ariettas to be offered this fall. Our September offer will focus on the 2010 Variation One, the Arietta Hudson Vineyards star of the vintage. The Syrah and Merlot weathered the temperature swings of the 2010 vintage beautifully, and the critics have raved about the Arietta Variation One. Anthony Galloni of The Wine Advocate writes, “The 2010 Variation One (Syrah/Merlot) explodes onto the palate with rich dark fruit, licorice, flowers and mint. The exuberance of the Syrah comes through beautifully on the firm, yet well delineated finish.”
For the first time since the 1996 vintage, we will not release an Arietta H Block Hudson Vineyards. 2010 was a tough vintage for Cabernet Franc from cooler climates such as Carneros, and did not meet the standard of quality that we expect from this wine. To friends of Arietta who were looking forward to the purchase of some H Block this fall, we will offer a small quantity of library vintages to tide them over to next year.
The Arietta wines continue to evolve, not just in the bottle, but also in the cellar, where we have been working on two exciting new projects. One remains under wraps, but the other we will unwrap now. Since the first vintage of the Arietta White Wine “On The White Keys” in 2005, we have experimented with the concept of keeping a portion of the Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon in barrel for twenty-one months–which is typical of the top white Bordeaux grand crus–rather than our usual practice of nine months. Only one barrel of this extended aging “On the White Keys” was made in each of the 2006 and 2007 vintages. In the 2010 vintage we held back even more white wine for further aging, and after several blending trials, four barrels were selected to be the first full-scale release of “On The White Keys” with extended aging. In honor of the many performing artists who have inspired (and we hope have been inspired by) the wines of Arietta, we have designated this special bottling as the “Artists’ Reserve.” We will offer the Arietta “On The White Keys Artists’ Reserve” first to prior purchasers of the Arietta white wine on Tuesday, October 16th.
Arietta’s final release of the fall will occur on Friday, November 23, aka “Black Friday.” While many consumers sacrifice sleep to queue in front of superstores, our tiny Arietta e-store will offer rare Arietta oversize formats in the holiday spirit–while they last, of course.
We hope to see you when you visit Napa; for an appointment, please email Vanessa@ariettawine.com.
‘Til September,
Fritz and Caren Hatton, Proprietors
Andy Erickson and Morgan Maureze, Winemakers
Vanessa Conlin, Director of Sales and Administration
SOMMS IN THE ARIETTA KITCHEN
Left to right:
Arietta Host Fritz Hatton, Organizer William Sherer (Wine Director, REDD), Bernabe de Luna (Wine Director, Aubergine and Luca in Carmel, CA, and winner of the competition, holding the trophy “Coq de Cuisine”), Blanca de Luna (co-winning chef), Raj Parr (Wine Director, Michael Mina Restaurant Group, judge), Caren Hatton (host and judge), Jamie Whestone (vintner and judge).
Follow us on Facebook
Follow us on Twitter
info@ariettawine.com
telephone 707.963.5918
facsimile 707.963.5919
Arietta
P.O. Box 349
Oakville, CA 94562