2016 Arietta Quartet Red Wine Napa Valley is sold out.

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Dunnuck: "This Beauty Is A Value,”

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  • 94 pts Wine Advocate
    94 pts RPWA
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2016 Arietta Quartet Red Wine Napa Valley 750 ml

Sold Out

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  • Curated by unrivaled experts
  • Choose your delivery date
  • Temperature controlled shipping options
  • Get credited back if a wine fails to impress

All-Star Napa Duo: Wolf & Erickson

Food & Wine’s Favorite Under-the-Radar California Red

Is it possible for a winery with a super-famous 100-point winemaker to also be one of Napa Valley’s “best-kept secrets?” That’s how Arietta, the Napa collaboration between winemaking legend Andy Erickson and auctioneer Fritz Hatton, has often been described in the press. 

The 2016 Arietta Quartet is a full-throttle knockout, brimming with red and black fruit and worthy of comparison to top Left Bank estates. “As Napa Cabernet goes, this beauty is a value,” said Jeb Dunnuck, while Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate awarded 94 points.

Arietta’s Quartet cuvée, a Cabernet-dominant study in lavish opulence, fruit purity, and silken texture, landed on Food & Wine’s 25 Favorite Under-the-Radar California Reds last year. Meanwhile, the winery regularly appears on lists at the likes of Per Se, The French Laundry, and Jean-Georges.

Chalk up its insider status to the limited quantities—only some 1,400 cases were made of this outstanding 2016—or to the fact that its best patrons tend to keep it to themselves, like a local’s closely-held favorite restaurant, shared only with confidantes and family. 

The Quartet cuvée debuted in 2006, making today’s bottle the 11th vintage, a sleeper value and prize in the under-$100 Napa Cabernet category. The name refers to the four grapes used in the classic Left Bank blend: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, and Petit Verdot. From the start, fruit sources have been among the best in the valley. The 2016 is dominated by Cabernet Sauvignon from two vineyards in Coombsville, both managed by viticulturist Mike Wolf, whose magic hands have worked the rows at To Kalon, Scarecrow, and Lindstrom.

Anyone who follows Napa knows that the 2016 vintage was incredible, heralded as among the best ever in the region’s history. Antonio Galloni ranked it second only to 2013 as the finest of the decade, writing that the wines “impress with their dazzling aromatic presence, finesse, and nuance.” This bottle channels that year’s high-spirited energy and classicism, and is drinking beautifully right now, though it will age with grace for the next decade. 

Don’t wait—this Food & Wine favorite won't be under the radar much longer.