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Artisan.wine · Arietta Napa Valley · A Father's Day Allocation
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For Father's Day · Four Cult Cuvées · Andy Erickson
The Cabernet that reminded Jeb Dunnuck of a great vintage of Mouton Rothschild.
The 2021 Arietta Cabernet just took JD 97, VM 95+, WA 94, JS 94. Only 250 cases made — and we have the last case of an allocation that one of our clients served six cases of at his 60th birthday party. Plus three more Arietta cuvées, including the cult Hudson Vineyard H Block.
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Dear Wine Lover,
Father's Day is in a week. If the father in your life loves cult Napa Cabernet — the kind of wine he opens after dinner and then quietly disappears into — this is the bottle to put in his hands. Arietta, owned by wine auctioneer Fritz Hatton and his wife Caren, was originally founded as a partnership between Fritz and John Kongsgaard — the patron saint of Napa Chardonnay. The wines today are made by Andy Erickson, who is, simply, one of the three or four most important winemakers working in California right now.
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Andy Erickson's Résumé
The winemaker who followed Heidi Peterson Barrett at Screaming Eagle.
When Heidi Peterson Barrett stepped down from Screaming Eagle, the family handed the keys to Andy Erickson. From there he went on to make or consult on a string of 100-point-scoring Napa wines: Harlan Estate, Dalla Valle, Favia, Ovid, Dancing Hares, Staglin, Hartwell, and Jonata. If you have ever paid $400+ for a bottle of Napa Cabernet, there is a meaningful chance Andy Erickson made it. At Arietta, his canvas is Hudson Vineyard — the cult Carneros parcel that wine geeks treat the way Burgundy collectors treat a Grand Cru.
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Production is tiny across the board — between 186 and 550 cases per cuvée. Four wines today: the JD 97 Cabernet, the VM 97 H Block Hudson, the entry-point Quartet (which Wine Advocate called "hard to believe… it's that good"), and the JS 96 white blend. Climbing the staircase.
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A True Story from Our Cellar
"Six cases of the 250-case allocation,
for a 60th birthday party."
One of our regular clients celebrated his 60th birthday recently. He flew in seventy of his closest friends. He poured six cases of the 2021 Arietta Cabernet — six cases out of the total 250 cases made on the planet — and watched the room go silent at first taste, then erupt in laughter as people figured out what he had done.
We have the last case of that allocation. Twelve bottles. After this, it is gone.
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✦ ✦ ✦
The Four Stunners
Cabernet, Cult Hudson Cab Franc, Insane Value, Bordeaux Blanc
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2021 Cabernet Sauvignon · JD 97 / VM 95+ / WA 94 / JS 94
⚠ Last 9 Bottles
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The Cult Meteor Vineyard · Coombsville · 250 Cases Worldwide
2021 Arietta Cabernet Sauvignon
100% Cabernet Sauvignon · Meteor Vineyard, Coombsville (planted 1999, Clone 337) · 20 months in French oak, 75% new · only 250 cases produced
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97Dunnuck
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95+Vinous
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95Independent
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94Advocate
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94Suckling
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97 Points · Jeb Dunnuck
"The star of the show is the 2021 Cabernet Sauvignon, a stunningly pure, full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon… Reminding me of a great vintage of Château Mouton Rothschild with its broad, expansive texture, this inky-hued beauty has tons of ripe black fruits… one heck of a great finish. Hide bottles for 4-5 years if you can, and it will drink brilliantly over the following 15-20 years."
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This is the bottle from the 60th birthday story above. We have the last case of the 250-case allocation.
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Winery Price $225
$179.99
Last 9 of the allocation
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2019 H Block Hudson Vineyards · VM 97 / JD 96 / WA 95+
⚠ Last 7 Bottles
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The Cult Hudson Vineyard · 33-Year-Old Vines · 186 Cases
2019 H Block Hudson Vineyards
70% Cabernet Franc + 30% Merlot, co-fermented · 100% Hudson Vineyard, Carneros (H Block + G & I Blocks) · 22 months French oak, 67% new · unfined, unfiltered · 186 cases produced
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97Vinous
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96Dunnuck
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95+Advocate
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95Suckling
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Vinous (97): "Another stunning wine in this range… the 2019 is a total knock-out. Don't miss it." Hudson is the cool-climate Carneros parcel that has been a destination for Andy Erickson and the wine geek class since the 1990s.
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Winery Price $195
$154.97
Last 7 bottles
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2022 "Quartet" Red Wine · DM 94 / JS 93 / WA 92 / JD 92
8 in Stock
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The Best Entry Point in Cult Napa
2022 Arietta "Quartet" Red Wine
71% Cabernet Sauvignon (Coombsville) · 16% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, 6% Syrah (Carneros) · 20 months French oak, 21% new
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94Decanter
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93Suckling
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92Advocate
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92Dunnuck
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91Vinous
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Wine Advocate's Joe Czerwinski: "Silky and delicious… it's hard to believe this is an 'entry-level' wine — it's that good." Crafted by Andy Erickson at the same address as the JD 97 Cabernet, for half the price.
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2024 "On The White Keys" · JS 96 / VM 93 / JD 93
⚠ Last Bottle
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Bordeaux-Style White · The Erickson Sleeper
2024 "On The White Keys" Sauv Blanc / Semillon
79% Sauvignon Blanc · 21% Semillon · 32% new French oak, balance used oak + stainless · 550 cases · Sonoma Mountain + Napa
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96Suckling
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93Vinous
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93Dunnuck
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James Suckling (96): "Yellow apples, honeysuckle, preserved lemons, struck matches and crushed stones… mineral drive… underlying power and tension." A Bordeaux-style white in the spirit of Haut-Brion Blanc, at a fraction of the price.
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Winery Price $85
$75.97
Only 1 bottle
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Father's Day · June 15
Andy Erickson, by hand,
at no more than 550 cases per cuvée.
For the man who has tasted everything.
Cabernet $179.99 / last 9 · H Block Hudson $154.97 / last 7 · Quartet $84.97 · On The White Keys $75.97 / last bottle.
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All my best,
James Tran
Artisan.wine
P.S. If you want the full experience for Dad, get him a bottle of the Cabernet alongside a bottle of the Quartet — same hands, same address, same vintage philosophy, $264.96 for the pair. He opens the Quartet first, you watch his face when he tries the Cab. Questions or to put a gift case together, text 650-880-3553.
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Artisan.wine
artisan.wine
Chat → artisan.wine/?chat · Email → sales@artisan.wine
Text → 650-880-3553 · Phone → 650-917-8080
Please enjoy responsibly · Must be 21+ · Allocation limited; pricing & availability subject to change
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