2012 Arietta H Block Hudson Vineyard

The 2012 Red Wine H Block is deep, fleshy and seductive. Today, it is the wine's fruit that is front and center, and there is no shortage of that. Readers who prefer more aromatic complexity and nuance will have to give the 2012 at least a few more years in bottle. There is plenty to look forward to, that much is clear. (AG)

The 2012 Proprietary Red Blend H Block is a St-Emilion look-alike blend of 62% Cabernet Franc and 38% Merlot. It boasts a dense purple color as well as an inner-core of gorgeously sweet and fragrant notes of blackcurrants, blueberries and mulberries, striking elegance and precision, and serious intensity as well as length. Give it several more years of bottle age to develop more nuances, and drink it over the following 15-20 years. It could turn out to merit an even higher score.

(62% cabernet franc and 38% merlot): Deep, bright medium ruby. Currant, fresh herbs, cedar and a medicinal quality on the slightly syrupy nose; smells important! At once plush and backward, with strong harmonious acidity buffering the wine's underlying sweetness and giving the middle palate a weightless quality. Very rich but classically dry blend, finishing with substantial horizontal tannins and terrific aromatic persistence.