Arietta, an ultra-premium Napa winery specializing in limited production Bordeaux-style blends, is owned by wine specialist and auctioneer Fritz Hatton and his wife Caren. One of America’s most celebrated winemakers, Andy Erickson, crafts the Arietta wines from carefully chosen blocks in the cooler climates of Napa Valley. The Arietta wine portfolio currently consists of four red wines—H Block Hudson, Variation One, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Quartet—and one white wine, On The White Keys.
The Hattons founded Arietta in 1996 in partnership with winemaker John Kongsgaard and his wife Maggy. The partnership was born of a shared passion for fine wine and classical music. Arietta's label features the manuscript of Beethoven's Arietta movement from his last Piano Sonata, Opus 111. Opus 111 is one of the most transporting and revolutionary pieces of music ever composed. Serene yet complex, rich yet ethereal, Beethoven’s Arietta provides an inspirational model for great winemaking.

The long, mild 2018 growing season delivered fruit that was fully ripe, with great phenolic maturity, natural acidity, and a panoply of flavors and aromas. The core of black fruits is adorned with notes of dried sage, bramble, flint and baking spices. The wine enters gently, but then immediately broadens and intensifies on the palate, growing in volume and finishing with a flurry—kirsch, raspberry, exotic woods, campfire and vanilla bean. The tannins are bold but rounded, making the wine incredibly attractive right now, and meaning also that there is plenty to look forward to in the future.

Critical Acclaim

WE94
Wine Enthusiast

This is a beautifully made wine, 100% varietal and sourced from two Coombsville sites, made by Andy Erickson. Cigar box and crushed rock accent an impressively structured core of youthful tannin, dried herb, black currant and baking spice. The oak is well integrated and friendly to the fruit and savory characteristics. Best After 2038. Cellar Selection.

JD93
Jeb Dunnuck
The 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon from this estate showed beautifully, with a classic dense purple color as well as great aromatics of currants, blueberries, tobacco leaf, new leather, and spice. Medium to full-bodied and nicely concentrated, with ripe, velvety tannins, this young, unevolved Cabernet Sauvignon will benefit from 2-4 years of bottle age and drink nicely for 10-15 years. It’s well worth seeking out.
RP92
Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Deep garnet-purple colored, the 2018 Cabernet Sauvignon delivers vibrant scents of baked black cherries, black currant pastilles and blackberry pie with hints of truffles, tapenade and tar. Medium-bodied, the palate is elegant and refreshing, offering bright crunchy black fruits and an earthy finish. Rating: 92