2000 Arietta H Block Hudson Vineyard

Cabernet Sauvignon. Co-founded by John Kongsgaard. Two years in 100% new French oak. Open, hints of vegetal character, blackcurrants, lots of concentration in the core but very delicate on the finish. Open, fleshy, classic. (RH)

(a 50/50 blend of cabernet franc and merlot): Moderately saturated ruby-red. Wild aromas of game, espresso, tobacco leaf and five-spice powder. Pliant in the mouth but not as expansive or deep as the riper vintages, displaying modest sweetness and finishing with slightly drying tannins. Still very well made and appealing, but this somewhat chunky wine probably will not improve.

The 2000 Arietta (equal parts Merlot and Cabernet Franc) tastes like an over-sized, phenomenal Cheval Blanc. It has blossomed beautifully since I tasted it last year. A dense purple color is followed by scents of cocoa, underbrush, chocolaty black cherry and black currant fruit, minerals, truffles, and graphite. A big, thick, chewy, tremendously long, intense, well-balanced red, I would love to taste it alongside the 2000 Cheval Blanc. It should hit its prime in 3-4 years, and last for two decades. There are approximately 800 cases. Winemaker and part owner, John Kongsgaard, produces these wines in partnership with auctioneer, Fritz Hatton. They are all fashioned from fruit grown in the “H Block” of the Hudson Vineyard, the highest point on that large ranch. The vineyard is planted in white volcanic ash-dominated soils. The Cabernet Franc/Merlot blend is the Arietta and the Syrah/Merlot blend is named Variation One. These striking offerings have a European sensitivity for elegance, structure, and delineation, but are clearly products of California, as evidenced by their prodigious ripeness as well as intensity. They are expensive, but impressive efforts that should be long-lived. Fax (707) 963-4512