Arietta "Quartet" Cabernet Blend 2021
(Napa Valley, California) - [JS 94] [TWI 94] [VM 93] [JD 92] [WA 92]

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 20 months in 32% new French oak barrels, the Arietta Quartet 2021 is approachable upon release, but rich enough to age well for 10 years or more. The label features a drawing of the string quartet's instruments by an eight-year-old Libby Hatton, a future proprietor of Arietta, over a manuscript of the famous Cavatina movement from Beethoven’s String Quartet Opus 130.

Winemaker notes from Andy Erickson: The 2021 Quartet wonderfully captures the vibrancy and depth of the 2021 vintage, a year of very little rainfall and warm California summer days.  The wine is a blend of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot and 1% Petit Verdot, and it exhibits the full range of aromas and flavors that the blend implies.  The Cabernet Sauvignon, sourced from the cooler climes of Napa Valley, drives the profile of the wine, with dark, savory tones of graphite, sage, mocha, and mint underpinning a core of black and red fruits.  The Cabernet Franc provides the perfect level of spice and aromatic interest, showing notes of lavender, cardemom, and subtle fennel seed.  Merlot adds a juicy blue-fruited element, and a small dose of Petit Verdot grounds the wine with earth tones and a hint of wood extract.

As with most vintages of Quartet, the wine overdelivers, while presenting a balanced and generous interpretation of Napa Valley.  Twenty months of barrel aging, and bottling without fining or filtration, help preserve the nuance and fruit expression of the wine.  Less than a quarter of the French oak barrels used for aging were new, so the fruit character really does shine, while there is ample structure to let the wine age for easily 15+ years to come.  It will only gain in interest and hedonistic potential.

Ratings & Reviews

94 Points - The Wine Independent:
The 2021 Quartet is composed of 83% Cabernet Sauvignon, 11% Cabernet Franc, 5% Merlot, and 1% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple in color, it gives up expressive scents of stewed black plums, boysenberry preserves, and black cherry compote followed by hints of spice cake and cracked black pepper. The medium to full-bodied palate is soft and juicy, with compelling freshness and a peppery kick to the finish.