Virtual Wine Tasting featuring Arietta Winery with Special Guest Fritz Hatton

Vito Corleone: I like to drink wine more than I used to.
Michael: It’s good for ya, Pop.
Vito Corleone: Anyway I’m drinkin’ more.
The Godfather

I have been drinking more than I used to since I opened the Wine Bar!  But that’s OK I’m training for the wine drinking Olympics!! 

It’s Wednesday and that means Virtual Wine Tasting Time!!



We are hosting virtual tastings every Wednesday on Zoom and Instagram live which will be posted to Instagram TV.  So, if you can’t make it at 6pm to chat with Kirk Venge, the owner of Venge Vineyards in Napa Valley on Wednesday, September 9th you can tune in any time after that by checking out the video posted to Wine Watch’s Instagram page.  The virtual tasting packs are up on our web page under the gift box selections and you can purchase them before the event and taste along with us or purchase them any time after the event until the wines are no longer available and taste the wines and watch the producer interview at your leisure.

The following week, we have our good friend Fritz Hatton here from Arietta Winery.  Join us as we welcome one of the top producers from Napa Valley on Wednesday, September 16th at 6pm EST.  We will be showing five wines from Arietta Winery and we have a package of these five wines listed on this e-mail and in the Wine Watch gift Box section of the Web page if you want to follow along you can purchase all five wines in one pack or any of the wines individually on our web page just type in Arietta and you will find the selections we are showcasing for the event.

Fritz is probably better known as an auctioneer than a vintner but that’s why he has Andy Erickson making the wines.  Fritz has been making wine now for over 20 years in Napa and is sourcing fruit from some of the top vineyard sites after making friends with the owners of these properties while rubbing elbows with them at the Napa Valley auction for the last two decades.
We have been following these wines from day one so when Fritz called me to let me know that he would love to be part of our virtual tasting series we gave him the next available spot to showcase these most excellent wines at our weekly Virtual wine tasting event.  And remember please dress appropriately if you are on our zoom call.

Virtual Wine Tasting featuring Arietta Winery
with Special Guest Fritz Hatton
Wednesday, September 16th
6:00 pm

https://www.winewatch.com/wine-gift-boxes-d1/virtual-wine-tasting-kits-c128/virtual-wine-tasting-five-pack-for-arietta-winery-p29478/
Price: $445.00
Arietta on The White Keys 2018
Arietta Quartet Napa Valley Red Wine 2017
Arietta Hudson Vineyards Merlot 2016
Arietta H-Block Hudson Vineyards 2016
Arietta Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2017

Topic: Virtual Wine Tasting Featuring Arietta Winery with Special Guest Fritz Hatton
Time: Sep 16, 2020 06:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
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Meeting ID: 972 2853 6055
Passcode: 174949

About Arietta Winery:
Arietta, an ultra-premium Napa winery specializing in limited production Bordeaux-style blends, is owned by wine specialist and auctioneer Fritz Hatton and his wife Caren. One of America’s most celebrated winemakers, Andy Erickson, crafts the Arietta wines from carefully chosen blocks in the cooler climates of Napa Valley. The Arietta wine portfolio currently consists of four red wines—H Block Hudson, Variation One, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Quartet—and one white wine, On The White Keys.

The Hattons founded Arietta in 1996 in partnership with winemaker John Kongsgaard and his wife Maggy. The partnership was born of a shared passion for fine wine and classical music. The vinous inspiration for Arietta was an extraordinary 2.3 acre block of Cabernet Franc on the Hudson Ranch in Napa/Carneros. The fruit from this block of Cabernet Franc serves as the core of the Arietta Red Wine H Block Hudson Vineyards. The Arietta project grew with the selection of additional superb blocks of Merlot and Syrah on the Hudson Ranch, which made possible the addition of two wines to the Arietta portfolio: Arietta Red Wine Variation One, an innovative blend of Merlot and Syrah, and Arietta Merlot Hudson Vineyards, produced only in selected vintages.

Pursuing our principle of purchasing fruit only from the very finest vineyard blocks, Arietta in the 2003 vintage purchased a small quantity of Cabernet Sauvignon from Howell Mountain vineyards farmed by famed Napa grower David Abreu. This fruit afforded us the opportunity to release a small quantity of Arietta Cabernet Sauvignon in the 2003 through 2005 vintages, as well as the Arietta Claret 2004 and 2005. In 2006 Arietta leased a fabulously situated 1.6 acre block of clone 337 Cabernet Sauvignon in Coombsville, which became the new core of the Arietta Cabernet. The same year saw the introduction of Arietta Quartet, a blend four Bordeaux varietals. Since 2009 the core of the quartet has been a jewel of a three acre vineyard in Coombsville, painstakingly laid out and planted by famed viticulturist David Abreu in 2003.

Erickson crafted Arietta’s first ever white wine, Arietta “On The White Keys” 2005, from very rare hillside blocks of Sauvignon Blanc on Sonoma Mountain and two tiny old vine Semillon blocks in the Hyde Vineyards in Napa Carneros. Barrel fermented and aged for eight months in a combination of stainless steel, new oak, and French oak barrels, the Arietta White Keys, with its distinctive combination of vibrant flavors and a grand finish, was an instant success upon release in the fall of 2006.

Arietta's label features the manuscript of Beethoven's Arietta movement from his last Piano Sonata, Opus 111, written long after the composer had lost his hearing. Opus 111 is one of the most transporting and revolutionary pieces of music ever composed. Serene yet complex, rich yet ethereal, Beethoven’s Arietta provides an inspirational model for great winemaking.

Andy Erickson, Arietta's winemaker, is one of the most accomplished winemakers of his generation. After working at wineries in Napa and South America, he earned his Master's Degree in Viticulture and Enology from the University of California at Davis in 2000. Prior to joining Arietta in 2005, Erickson worked for Harlan Estate as assistant winemaker, and for Staglin as winemaker. Erickson's first project for Arietta was the development of its first ever white wine, Arietta "On The White Keys." Erickson assumed complete control of winemaking at Arietta with the 2006 vintage. Erickson also makes wine for, Dalla Valle, Ovid, Dancing Hares, and Favia.

All the Arietta Wines in the store:

2018 Arietta On the White Keys
Price: $62.50       Your Price: $55.00

The Arietta White Wine “On The White Keys” is a blend of hillside Sauvignon Blanc and old vine Semillon. We ferment and age the White Keys for nine months in a combination of new and second-use oak and stainless steel barrels. The label incorporates the manuscript of the Arietta movement from Beethoven’s last piano sonata, Opus 111. The key to the name “On The White Keys” is the melody of the Arietta theme, which is played in its entirety on the white keys of the piano.

The sensationally good 2018 vintage in Northern California gave us a brilliant 2018 Arietta White Wine On The White Keys.   We continue to pursue our ideal of a white Bordeaux-styled blend with a bright and mouthwatering entry, and a grandly expansive finish.  The 2018 White Keys, a blend of 87% hillside Sauvignon Blanc from Sonoma Mountain and 13% old vine Semillon from the Hyde Vineyards in Napa/Carneros, takes us as close as ever to this ideal.

Wine Critic Antonio Galloni comments: “The 2018 On The White Keys is bright, precise and wonderfully nuanced. Orange peel, mint, apricot and light tropical notes all develop in the glass in this nuanced Sauvignon Blanc/Sémillon blend. The 2018 stands out for its tension – this is a wine built on precision and total class; it is one of the better vintages I can remember tasting.”

Blend: Sauvignon Blanc 87%, Semillon 13%
Fruit Sources: 87% Sonoma Mountain, 13% Napa
Elevage: Barrel fermented and aged 10 months in 34% New French Oak, 34% Second Use French Oak, 32% Stainless Steel
Production: 415 cases

2015 Arietta On the White Keys
Price: $72.50       Sale $63.80          Quantity in Stock: 5

Arietta White Wine On The White Keys, a white Bordeaux-inspired blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon, is Arietta's first and only white wine. In 2005 Arietta's winemaker Andy Erickson sourced three outstanding blocks of hillside Sauvignon Blanc on Sonoma Mountain, and with the addition of two tiny blocks of old vine Semillon farmed by the highly respected Napa/Carneros grower Larry Hyde, fashioned a wine of remarkable complexity. The brilliance and pungent vibrancy of the Sauvignon Blanc has been preserved by fermentation of a substantial portion of the Sauvignon Blanc in stainless steel barrels. The balance of the Sauvignon Blanc, as well as the Semillon, was fermented in new Chateau oak barrels, an important factor in achieving length and ageability. The Sauvignon Blanc provides rich citric mouth watering acidity. The Semillon provides viscosity, lengthens and polishes the wine, and gives it a sheen of beeswax and floral scents. Arietta On The White Keys shares with the red wines Arietta's goals of quality, depth, vibrancy, and complexity, with much credit due to extreme care in vineyard selection and blending.

2017 Arietta Quartet Napa Valley Red Wine
List Price: $65.75               Your Price: $57.86

Arietta Quartet is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot from carefully chosen vineyard blocks in the Napa Valley. Aged for 22 months in 35% new French oak barrels, Arietta Quartet is approachable upon release, but rich enough to age well for ten years or more. The label features a drawing of the instruments of the string quartet by eight year old Libby Hatton, a future proprietor of Arietta, over a manuscript fragment of the famous Cavatina movement from Beethoven’s String Quartet Opus 130.

The aromas coming from the glass after pouring the 2017 Quartet are delicate yet exuberant. Floral notes and red fruit aromatics are fresh and focused. Notes of red cherry, rose petal, black tea and bay laurel are among the first scents noted. The color of the wine is dark black-purple with a red note around the rim. This opaque dark hue belies the bright energy and focus of the wine. On the palate, the wine has a remarkable intensity, though it is balanced and well proportioned. Red raspberry, baked cherry, vanilla bean and crushed stones are some of the impressions as the wine hits the palate. The flavors build into an intense, long finish with polished tannins and lingering red fruit flavors.

While this wine will age for a decade or more, it is immensely appealing immediately after opening.  – Andy Erickson, Arietta winemaker
Blend: 68% Cabernet Sauvignon, 18% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc, 3% Petit Verdot
Fruit Sources: 67% Coombsville, 30% Carneros,
Elevage: 22 months in French oak barrels, 35% new
Production: 998 cases

2016 Arietta Quartet Napa
Price: $75.75       Sale $66.66
The origins of the Arietta Quartet were wines under the label "Arietta Claret" made in 2004 and 2005 from Bordeaux varietals grown at the top of Howell Mountain by noted viticulturist David Abreu. In 2006 we changed the name of the wine to Arietta Quartet, allying the four Bordeaux varietals in the wine (everything except Malbec) to the musical subtext of the brand. Since 2007 we have created Arietta Quartet from first class blocks of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot, and Petit Verdot sourced from several of the finest growers in Napa. Most lots are kept separate for the first fifteen months after harvest, at which time blending commences in earnest, and the wine is continually "tweaked" until bottling. In 2009 a superb close-spaced three acre vineyard in Coombsville, planted to the four Quartet varietals by David Abreu in 2003, became the new core of the Arietta Quartet. Since 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon has been the dominant variety in the Quartet, along with generous amounts of Cabernet Franc and Merlot, and a hint of Petit Verdot. The percentage of new oak employed (50-70%) is lower than the other Arietta red wines, making the Arietta Quartet the most approachable upon release.

2016 Arietta Merlot Hudson Vineyard Napa
Price: $84.00       Sale $73.92

The sources of the Arietta Merlot Hudson Vineyards are the superb southwest facing G and I Blocks in the Hudson Vineyards on the Napa side of Carneros.  
 Coming on the heels of a prolonged multi-year drought, the 2016 growing season was defined by near-ideal conditions.  Rain in March and early April allowed the vines to start the spring with ample moisture in the soil, made for healthy canopies and balanced vines.  A dry, mild summer, with only one short heat event, helped the fruit ripen with deep color, intense aromatics, and ample natural acidity.  Some growers are commenting that the quality of the wines is perhaps on par with the much-heralded 2013 vintage.
 Notes from winemaker Andy Erickson: “The 2016 Arietta Merlot, as is true with most vintages, is 100% Merlot.  The grapes come from the oldest vines planted on Hudson Vineyards, from a block Lee Hudson has referred to as the “Merlot Cathedral.”  The vines indeed are statuesque, deeply rooted, and able to ripen the fruit gradually and fully.  The wine from 2016 showcases the strength of this great terroir, presenting the full spectrum of Merlot character.  Notes of blue and black fruits dance with aromas of baking spices, cocoa, pot de crème and graphite.  On the palate the combination of fresh acidity and rounded but structured tannins is palpable.  This wine is a reminder of just how impressive Merlot can be when grown on the right soils, in the cooler climes of the Napa Valley.  It will be pure pleasure to taste this wine over the years as it develops in the bottle.”

2014 Arietta Merlot Hudson Vineyard
Price: $84.00       Your Price: $73.92            Quantity in Stock: 6

(94 Points) The 2014 Merlot Hudson Vineyards is gorgeous. Surprisingly, it is also richer, deeper and more pedigreed than the Cabernet Sauvignon in this vintage. Exquisitely layered and supple, the 2014 possesses striking depth to match its creamy, inviting personality. Layers of plum, black cherry and mocha build into the supple, inviting finish. Naturally the 2014 is quite young. It can be enjoyed today, but readers who appreciate the complexity that develops only in bottle will have to be patient. Vinous

2017 Arietta Cabernet Sauvignon Napa
Price: $150.00    Your Price: $132.00         Quantity in Stock: 3

Arietta Cabernet Sauvignon was first produced in the 2003 vintage. Since 2007 the core of the wine has been a 1.6 acre block of Cabernet Sauvignon in Coombsville, a small vale just east of the town of Napa. Lying in the shadow of Mt. Saint George, the vineyards undulate downwards toward the town of Napa. Planted by viticulturist Mike Wolf in 1995 and still under his management, the vineyard incorporating the Arietta Cabernet Sauvignon block is recognized as one of the finest, if not the finest site for this varietal in Coombsville. The soil is primarily volcanic, and the Arietta block has a southwestern exposure which is the most favored in this relatively cool climate. The grapes require longer than typical hang time (often until mid-October), and develop great depth of flavor without exceeding 25.5 brix. For additional layering and complexity we blend into the Arietta Cabernet Sauvignon small amounts of Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, or Merlot, depending on the character of the vintage. Arietta Cabernet Sauvignon is raised in 75-80% new French oak for twenty months before bottling the second July after harvest.

2016 Arietta H Block Hudson Vineyards Napa
Price: $150.00    Your Price: $132.00

Arietta Red Wine H Block Hudson Vineyards is Arietta’s flagship blend of Cabernet Franc and Merlot. First produced in 1996, the wines of Arietta are inspired by our passion for classical music.

Coming on the heels of a prolonged multi-year drought, the 2016 growing season was defined by near-ideal conditions. Rain in March and early April allowed the vines to start the spring with ample moisture in the soil, made for healthy canopies and balanced vines. A dry, mild summer, with only one short heat event, helped the fruit ripen with deep color, intense aromatics, and ample natural acidity. Some growers are commenting that the quality of the wines is perhaps on par with the much-heralded 2013 vintage.

Notes from winemaker Andy Erickson: “This blend of 70% Cabernet Franc and 30% Merlot takes the expression of the Hudson Vineyard terroir to a new level of complexity. The core of the “H Block” cuvée comes from thirty-year-old Cabernet Franc vines planted on a rare volcanic outcropping just above the Hudson “Merlot Cathedral.” The 2016 vintage was co-fermented, taking just the heart of the Merlot block and harvesting it on the same day as the Cabernet Franc. As usual, native yeast fermentation, and a long, carefully controlled maceration helped to meld together the two varieties, bringing forward the best of what they have to offer. After aging for twenty months in two-thirds new French oak, the wine was bottled without fining or filtration to preserve the power and subtlety of the vintage. Aromas of lavender, orange blossom, and anise are in harmony with the ripe Napa Valley fruit profile. Solid and well textured, the wine flows across the palate, blackberry, currant, and black cherry flavors mixed with hints of dried flowers, flint, and black licorice. This vintage of “H Block” will certainly age for decades to come.”

Blend: 70% Cabernet Franc, 30% Merlot, co-fermented
Fruit Sources: 100% Hudson Vineyard, Carneros
Age of Vines: 29 years
Élevage: Aged 22 months in French oak barrels, 68% new
Production: 411 cases

2014 Arietta H Block Hudson Vineyards
Price: $165.00    Sale $145.20

The Cabernet Franc is solely from the 2.3 acre Hudson Vineyards H Block, a shy-bearing, volcanic, southwest facing slope, which naturally yields just three tons per acre.
The Merlot is grown in the Hudson Vineyards G and I Blocks, which lie immediately below the H Block. Typically, the two varietals are picked simultaneously and co-fermented, assuring a marriage of the varieties. The Cabernet Franc provides the cassis, blueberry, brown sugar character, while the Merlot brings dark chocolate to the aroma and a chewy richness to the finish. Harvested near the extreme of ripeness, the wine is fermented with its indigenous yeast, macerated with the skins for six weeks, and then aged for twenty months in mostly new French oak barrels. Naturally clarified by traditional Bordeaux racking, the blend is bottled without fining or filtration. The intense concentration masks the substantial tannin, which assures an evolution in bottle of at least ten years.

2014  Arietta Variation One Napa
Price: $111.00    Sale $97.68

Arietta Red Wine Variation One is a blend of Merlot and Syrah, also from the Hudson Vineyards. The Syrah, from Hudson's Hermitage selection grown in gravel unusual in the Carneros, is co-fermented with the Merlot to give the blend a wild and penetrating quality. If the H Block wine is an homage to the Right Bank of Bordeaux, Variation One is a Napa Valley original. The plum and licorice aromas of Merlot blend imperceptibly with the forest floor, wild game qualities attributable to the Syrah in a wine without antecedent anywhere in the world. The vinification, barrel ageing, and bottling are similar to the Arietta H Block wine. Variation One may be served young, especially with wilder dishes, but the powerful, if supple, tannin will support its evolution in bottle for at least ten years.