2002 Arietta Variation One
Market price
Buying options
Tasting notes
Huge oak tannins and a host of wild, feral notes dominate the 1999 Red Wine Variation One. Blood orange, star anise, espresso, scorched earth and dried flowers give the wine aromatic intrigue. There is plenty of depth and intensity to the fruit. However, readers should expect a wild, gamy style.
Critic scores
Robert Parker
Robert Parker
More reviews and scores
((100) Good medium ruby. Brooding, medicinal aromas of inky black fruits. Tougher today than the 2003 from barrel, but offers outstanding flavor intensity and clarity, with notes of black raspberry, spice, licorice and chocolate emerging with aeration. Less obviously sweet today than the 2003 (I might have picked this blind as a classic Bordeaux blend including petit verdot and cab franc), but finishes with superb breadth of tannins. "The H Block is an homage to more refined Old World wines," notes Kongsgaard, "while this is more California exotic."
The stunning 2002 Variation One (70% Merlot and 30% Syrah) exhibits an exotic, opulent personality with a deep purple color, and sweet aromas of cocoa, new saddle leather, black raspberries, cassis, and acacia flowers. Full-bodied, with beautifully integrated oak (all of these wines are aged in 100% new French wood), wonderful sweetness, tremendous delineation, and laser-like clarity and transparency of character. A beauty, it is ideal for drinking over the next 10-15 years. These wines are only available via a mailing list. Fax (707) 963-4512