Winemaker Notes
Blend: 68% Cabernet Franc, 32% Merlot
Professional Ratings
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The most expensive wine in the portfolio is the 2014 Proprietary Red H Block, a blend of 68% Cabernet Franc and 32% Merlot from the Hudson Vineyard in Los Carneros. A young, promising and youthful wine – elegance and power are combined in a deep ruby/purple wine with notes of forest floor, white flowers, blueberry, raspberry and firm tannin, but it is well-integrated and the wine medium to full-bodied with an almost ethereal delicacy when it moves across the palate. This is a beauty, still young and relatively unevolved, but promises to be sensational with another 3-5 years of bottle age and should keep for 20-25 years at the minimum.
Rating: 94+ -
Vinous
The 2014 H Block Hudson Vineyards is aromatic and light on is feet. Crushed flowers, rose petal, mint, kirsch and orange peel all take shape in the glass. Medium in body and vibrant, the 2014 has so much to offer. It's in fine shape today. The H Block is strongly dominated by Cabernet Franc character, especially in its aromatics.
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Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: When wines are powerful and full-throttled, they often miss on balance. The impressive 2014 Arietta H Block Hudson Vineyard Red is one the best amongst the full-flavored, ultra-rich wines. TASTING NOTES: This wine is powerful and superbly balanced. Its aromas and flavors of black fruit, formidable oak accents suggest a beautiful pairing with a blue cheese-accented grilled ribeye. (Tasted: September 17, 2018, San Francisco, CA)
Undoubtedly proving its merit over and over, Napa Valley is a now a leading force in the world of prestigious red wine regions. Though Cabernet Sauvignon dominates Napa Valley, other red varieties certainly thrive here. Important but often overlooked include Merlot and other Bordeaux varieties well-regarded on their own as well as for their blending capacities. Very old vine Zinfandel represents an important historical stronghold for the region and Pinot noir is produced in the cooler southern parts, close to the San Pablo Bay.
Perfectly situated running north to south, the valley acts as a corridor, pulling cool, moist air up from the San Pablo Bay in the evenings during the hot days of the growing season, which leads to even and slow grape ripening. Furthermore the valley claims over 100 soil variations including layers of volcanic, gravel, sand and silt—a combination excellent for world-class red wine production.