Classic Case of Obsession

Named after Beethoven’s final piano sonata, Arietta began with a single vineyard in Carneros — now it’s a harmonious collection of wines that continues to evolve.

The close-knit team at Arietta Wine including proprietors Fritz and Caren Frutig Hatton (third and fourth from left) and winemaker Andy Erickson second from right).

(All photos courtesy Arietta Wine.)

Fritz Hatton’s life has been intertwined with two things — classical music and fine wine.

A Yale graduate and classically trained pianist since the age of seven who always travels with sheet music, Hatton says, “I have no need for headphones to listen to music; the music plays in my head. I can hear it in my mind.” Wine touched him at an early age as well. Hatton’s father was a Francophile and often shared great bottles of wine.

Hatton’s wine and classical music obsession continued during graduate school, where he worked at a local wine shop and spent weekends drinking rare fine wine with collectors from Connecticut: verticals of Château Palmer going back to 1860, First Growth Bordeaux going as far back as 1890. After earning his master’s degree in management, he thought his “ideal job was in the performing arts,” playing the piano in New York City. All the while, he worked in wine shops to pay for his wine obsession.

Christie’s Auction House was just starting a branch in New York, and Hatton signed on as a protégé in 1980 with his love and experience for rare wine. With his management background, he became office manager, then over the next few years rose to managing all of North America for the great auction house, including not only the wine department but also fine art and antiques. Michael Broadbent became one of his mentors. Hatton points out that this was the ’80s, when artists like Andy Warhol would roam the halls with his entourage. He was even sent to Japan to help open a Christie’s in Asia.

In 1992 he came back to head the Napa Auction, where he was introduced to another wine and classical music buff, John Kongsgaard — yes, the legendary winemaker of eponymous Kongsgaard Wines. Kongsgaard and Hatton bonded immediately. “After three bottles of wine and listening to hours of classical music deep into the night on our first meeting, we became fast friends.” This relationship was meant to last a lifetime.

Three years after moving to San Francisco, Hatton was called back to New York in 1995. Hatton recounts that Kongsgaard called him in September around harvest time, asking if he wanted to make some red wine. He said, “If we pick the grapes before the pickers come, we can probably make enough for a barrel.” Hatton agreed. In just a few short years, the wine went from being just a passion project of one barrel to an actual enterprise of 600 cases. Thus, was born what was to become Arietta.

Originally only from the H Block of Hudson Vineyard in Carneros, Arietta is named after Beethoven’s last piano sonata, Opus 111, with 1996 as the first commercial vintage, and with Kongsgaard making the wines until 2005.

Today, Arietta is more than just one wine. In fact, when Andy Erickson (former assistant winemaker at Harlan Estate and winemaker at Screaming Eagle) joined Arietta in 2005, his first order of business was to create their first-ever white wine, named Arietta “On the White Keys.” The 2023 version is a delicious Bordeaux-style blend of 78% Sauvignon Blanc and 12% Sémillon, with vibrant zesty citrus, succulent melon, hints of wet stone, and a zippy finish. Medium-light in body, very elegant and classy.

In 2006, Quartet, another original red blend, was created using mainly Bordeaux varieties but adding the spice and richness of Syrah. The 2022 Arietta “Quartet” is a mélange of 73% Cabernet Sauvignon, 16% Merlot, 7% Cabernet Franc, and 6% Syrah. This wine drinks like a silky version of a Second Growth, Left Bank Bordeaux. Beautifully delineated black and blue fruit, poised with fine tannin and sweet wood tones, such perfect ripeness without being heavy — it is so drinkable even upon release.

We climb the ladder with the Arietta Merlot. Hatton is keen to point out that Merlot is an integral piece of their blends and is sourced from old vines planted in the I Block of Hudson Vineyards. Hatton laughs, “Andy calls it the finest Merlot vineyard in all of California. I let him say that!” The 2021 Arietta Merlot is reticent and requires air, but with it comes layers of dark plums and currant, perfectly framed by sweet vanillin spice and a finish of chocolate and earth. This will require time, but the potential is immense.

The Arietta Cabernet Sauvignon is the only non-blended wine at 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, sourced from a fabulous vineyard in Coombsville known as Meteor Vineyard. This wine gives off a very Old World-like sense of pedigree and aristocracy. Everything is in its place with nothing being ostentatious. Perfectly ripe, rich, but nothing extraneous or overreaching. It is remarkably seamless and will age gracefully for a decade and more.

The Arietta H Block from Hudson Vineyard is my favorite of the bunch. This hails from the H Block of Hudson Vineyard, a single block of Cabernet Franc that Kongsgaard “always thought should be its own wine.” It is co-fermented with Merlot from an adjoining block. It is very much a Right Bank style of wine. I love the nose with its yin and yang of sweet fruitiness along with savory, herbal tones. It is downright sexy on the palate with its elegance and balance. It is a true crescendo and climax to this brilliant series of wines.

Hatton puts it succinctly: “Arietta Napa are wines that are reminiscent of the greatest Old-World wines in terms of aroma, balance and sophistication.” And when I ask him to compare music and wine: “Both of their highest purpose is to bring us to a higher level of consciousness and socialization and, in some cases, extend us to nirvana!” Talk about climax.