Winemaker Notes
The 2020 Arietta Cabernet Sauvignon was sourced entirely from Arietta’s 1.7-acre block in the Meteor Vineyard in the heart of Coombsville, just east of the City of Napa. The 22-acre Meteor vineyard, planted in 1999 by noted viticulturist Mike Wolf and still managed by him, produces the highest quality fruit in Coombsville.
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Sourced from Coombsville's Meteor Vineyard, Arietta's 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon exhibits wonderfully pure notes of cassis and blueberry, plus dark, earthy tones and hints of cedar shavings and vanilla. It's medium to full-bodied, richly concentrated and velvety, with ample length and a bright, fresh finish that balances the dark fruit-and-earth profile. Best After 2024
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James Suckling
A deeply colored and extracted red with aromas of dark chocolate, walnuts, dried leaves, blackcurrants and cassis. Dense and full-bodied, with firm, chewy tannins that dominate. Dark and brooding. 100% cabernet sauvignon. Best after 2026.
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Jeb Dunnuck
The 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon is enjoyable, with smoky cassis and plum fruits as well as notes of toasted spice, chocolate, and lead pencil. It's medium to full-bodied, has good depth of fruit, some firmer tannins, and good acidity. I wouldn't be surprised if there was a touch of smoke in this wine, but it stays largely in the background, and the wine is certainly enjoyable.
A noble variety bestowed with both power and concentration, Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys success all over the globe, its best examples showing potential to age beautifully for decades. Cabernet Sauvignon flourishes in Bordeaux's Medoc where it is often blended with Merlot and smaller amounts of some combination of Cabernet Franc, Malbecand Petit Verdot. In the Napa Valley, ‘Cab’ is responsible for some of the world’s most prestigious, age-worthy and sought-after “cult” wines. Somm Secret—DNA profiling in 1997 revealed that Cabernet Sauvignon was born from a spontaneous crossing of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc in 17th century southwest France.
Situated in the southeastern corner of Napa Valley in the Vaca range, the vineyards of the Coombsville AVA enjoy a long growing season mitigated by cool, San Pablo Bay fog.