2017 Arietta Quartet Red
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Tasting notes
While the 2017 Red Blend Quartet doesn't have the depth or complexity of the top wines here, it has loads of upfront fruit and character. Notes of spiced blackcurrants, plums, incense, and Asian spice notes give way to a medium to full-bodied, rounded, straightforward effort that has loads to love. Drink it over the coming 5-7 years. The blend is 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc, and 2% Petit Verdot that spent 22 months in 35% new French oak.
Critic scores
Average Score
Jeb Dunnuck
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
More reviews and scores
The 2017 Red Blend Quartet is a delicious, easygoing red from Arietta. Expressive floral and savory notes add character and meld into a core of ripe red plum fruit. Cedar, sweet pipe tobacco, mint, crushed flowers and sweet spice all come together in a pliant, aromatic wine that is impeccable in its balance. This is a very pretty and expressive entry-level wine from Arietta that overdelivers.
The 2017 Quartet is a blend of 67% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot, 11% Cabernet Franc and 2% Petit Verdot. Deep garnet-purple colored, it is a tad closed, revealing baked black cherries, dried mulberries and crème de cassis with hints of fruitcake, dried bay leaves, tobacco and dusty soil. Medium to full-bodied, firm, chewy and a little lacking in the mid-palate, it has a slightly hard, bitter finish.