Arietta
In 1996, Fritz and Caren Hatton, and John and Maggie Kongsgaard founded Arietta. Born out of a passion for music and wine, the Arietta originally made a single Cabernet Franc from a 2.3 acre block in Hudson Vineyard.
| Region: | Napa Valley |
|---|---|
| Sub Region: | St Helena |
| Wine: | View all wines |
Located in the St Helena AVA, Arietta was established as a partnership between Fritz and Caren Hatton, and John and Maggie Kongsgaard. Mr. Kongsgaard has been producing Napa Valley wine since 1979 and was the founding winemaker at Arietta.
He initially produced a single Cabernet Franc from a 2.3 acre block of Hudson Vineyards, but has since expanded his offerings. Kongsgaard recently handed over the reigns to consulting winemaker Andy Erickson. Erickson has worked for many illustrious wineries including Harlan Estate and Staglin Family Vineyard.
The Arietta H Block is a blend of Cabernet Franc and Merlot from Hudson Vineyards in the Carneros AVA. The grapes used to make this wine are allowed to hang on the vine for an extended period. This highly concentrated wine will aged for a decade or more.
The Red Wine Variation One is a blend of Merlot and Syrah grapes that are also grown by Hudson. This oak aged wine is a little more fruit forward than the H Block and has rounder tannins.
In 2003, Arietta produced a Cabernet Sauvignon with grapes grown by David Abreu on Howell Mountain. Located in the northeastern hills of Napa Valley, the Howell Mountain AVA is renowned for its long, sunny days that are perfect for ripening Cab.
The 2004 Arietta Claret is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. The Cab is from David Abreu’s Howell Mountain property and the Merlot is from Hudson Vineyards. Supplies of this wine are very limited; only 6 barrels were produced.
There are also plans to make Sauvignon Blanc and old vine Semillon blend called Arietta On The White Keys. The only way to taste these wines is join their mailing list or order it them in one of the high-end restaurants where they are available.
